College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
318 Degrees Awarded
$72,289 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 142,610 people earned their degree in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,355 and had an average of $25,230 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 3,972 homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,668 and $25,829 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s”.

Top 10 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #1 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Veteran Student Life Report

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 23 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 17,834 students enrolled at University of Chicago, 241 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

3
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lewis University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s list. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.

Lewis also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3.Of the 6,437 students enrolled at Lewis, 23 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,559. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lewis Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees to qualified students.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 14 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University, 530 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7.Among the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago, 261 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Loyola Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

7

Western Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.

WIU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Western Illinois University supports 7,490 students, and 330 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 62 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Western Illinois University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Western Illinois University]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

8
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s ranking. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Aurora University]](/colleges/aurora-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students in 2020-2021.

GSU also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9.Our most recent data shows that 146 of the 4,650 students enrolled at GSU were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,291. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at GSU]](/colleges/governors-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s list. Chicago State University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSU also made our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10.Among the 2,644 students enrolled at Chicago State University, 94 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options