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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
96 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master's in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Political Science is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,740 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 1,532 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 96 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in political science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in Illinois

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. 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.

Read more about Political Science at UIUC

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069.

Read full report on Political Science at Illinois State

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s poly sci degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Illinois University are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science at Eastern Illinois University

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified masters’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Political Science Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Political Science Report

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996.

Read more about Political Science at WIU

#5 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Political Science 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 University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read full report on Political Science at UIC

#8

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Loyola Chicago Political Science Report

#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified masters’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science at Northwestern University

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Political Science 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 UChicago are $61,548.

Read more about Political Science at UChicago

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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.

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