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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois

27 Colleges in Illinois
5,877 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,297 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in social sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #5 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 27 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of social sciences. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,877 degrees in social sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois The social sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Sciences rankings. For our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Sciences Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in Illinois

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,278 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences needs to take a look at University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1278 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of about $13,120 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
663 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$51,258 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 663 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Northwestern University make $12,961 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
973 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$36,891 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 973 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program report average early career earnings of $36,891.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
349 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 349 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social sciences program make around $32,898 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Illinois at Chicago

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$45,256 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #257 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were roughly 121 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Wheaton College Illinois earn $6,959 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Wheaton College Illinois

6
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
16.5% Growth in Graduates

Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Lake Forest. A Best Colleges rank of #289 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lake Forest is a great college overall.

There were approximately 85 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Lake Forest in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Lake Forest College get $4,243 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Lake Forest College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 281 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program report average early career wages of $30,353.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Loyola University Chicago

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
160 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$31,151 Median Starting Salary

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Carbondale. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 160 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,151.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
236 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,535 Median Starting Salary

Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 236 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Illinois State University get an earnings boost of about $3,237 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Illinois State University

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
40 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,615 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 40 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Elmhurst University earn $3,317 more than the typical social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Elmhurst University

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 2,925
Michigan 38 4,194
Ohio 38 4,882
Wisconsin 37 3,477

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,155
Political Science & Government 1,470
Sociology 841
International Relations & National Security 389
Anthropology 288
Geography & Cartography 201
General Social Sciences 197
Sociology & Anthropology 44
Other Social Sciences 32
Urban Studies 15

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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