by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 95th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,705 and had an average of $23,383 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 140 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,736 and $22,451 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 19 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in geological and earth sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree geology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 5 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Northern Illinois University
Out of the 8 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 4 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northeastern Illinois University Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
