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2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

15 Ranked Colleges
68 Degrees Awarded
$24,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,476 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 144th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 776 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 68 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in geography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” 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.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree geography students.

Top 15 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography in the Great Lakes Region

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Geography Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.

Read more about Geography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northern Illinois University Geography Report

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geography Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. Ohio University - Athens Campus is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at OHIO Athens are $17,712.

Read more about Geography at OHIO Athens

#8 in overall quality

Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Kent State is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 3 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kent State University at Kent are $21,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography at Kent State University at Kent

#7

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana
#14 in overall quality

Indiana State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Indiana State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana State are $15,346, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Indiana State University Geography Report

#11 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee are $25,295, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#9

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSU also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Chicago State University are $15,056.

Read more about Geography at CSU

#10

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 10 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WMU are $31,355, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Western Michigan University Geography Report

#11

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geography at IU Bloomington

#12

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 6 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056.

Read more about Geography at Michigan State

#5 in overall quality

Miami University - Oxford landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree geography students list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Miami University - Oxford are $31,697.

Full Miami University - Oxford Geography Report

#14

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

University of Toledo ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Toledo is a fairly large public school situated in Toledo, Ohio. It awarded 8 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Toledo also took the #13 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Toledo are $27,067, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geography at University of Toledo

#3 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State University - Main Campus are $37,141.

Full Ohio State Geography Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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