2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 13 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

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

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography in Illinois

#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography at SIUE

#2

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full NIU Geography Report

#3

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,056 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. CSU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

CSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSU are $15,056.

Read more about Geography at Chicago State University

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

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.

Featured Geography Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >