by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Sociology is the 25th most popular major in the country with 38,475 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $24,587 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,166 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,085 and $25,610 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 179 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,892 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in sociology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their sociology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Sociology at Northern Illinois University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Indianapolis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 3 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 13 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 5 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Sociology at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 7 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 16 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Sociology at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Ball State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 ranking of #15, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #16, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Sociology Report
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Eastern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 3 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Sociology at Eastern Michigan University
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
Kent State University at Kent came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
University of Toledo came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
