2026 Best Homeland Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Homeland Security degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 15 schools to find the best for homeland security students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Homeland Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Best Schools for Homeland Security in the Great Lakes Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the homeland security degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Homeland Security

1

Harper College
Palatine, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

13 Homeland Security Degrees Awarded

$44,523 Median Starting Salary

No school ranked higher than Harper College this year for homeland security. Located in the suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a very large public university. Harper College awarded about 13 homeland security degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their homeland security degree from Harper College earn around $44,523 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $10,963. See the full homeland security program report for Harper College

2

College Of Dupage
Glen Ellyn, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Homeland Security Degrees Awarded

$43,025 Median Starting Salary

A rank of #2 makes College Of Dupage one of the top schools for homeland security. Located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn, College Of Dupage is a very large public university. College Of Dupage awarded about 18 homeland security degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, homeland security degree recipients from College Of Dupage generally make around $43,025. College Of Dupage graduates carry a median of $12,492 in student loans. See the full homeland security program report for College Of Dupage

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 15 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.