2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in Illinois
12
Ranked Colleges
59
Degrees Awarded
$29,900
Avg Cost*

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois” ranking.
Sociology is the 25th most popular major in the country with 35,816 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $31,418 and had an average of $22,369 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 798 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,984 and $23,512 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 59 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,827 and $47,424 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. That schools that top this list have a program in sociology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree sociology students.
Top 12 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in Illinois
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 Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at NIU
Out of the 12 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at Western Illinois University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.
Read more about Sociology at UChicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s sociology degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Illinois State Sociology Report
Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 masters’s sociology degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Loyola University Chicago Sociology Report
DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Read full report on Sociology at DePaul
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 masters’s sociology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read more about Sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago
With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full SIUC Sociology Report
With a ranking of #10, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Northwestern Sociology Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UIUC Sociology Report
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Sociology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Sociology at Roosevelt University
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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 Kontos.