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2024 Best Sociology Schools in Illinois

22 Colleges in Illinois
841 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$31,984 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in sociology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #25 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sociology Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 841 degrees in sociology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Sociology School

Best Sociology Schools in Illinois The sociology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Sociology rankings. We derive our Best Overall Sociology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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 Sociology Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Sociology
Master's Degrees in Sociology
Doctor's Degrees in Sociology

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Sociology Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Sociology 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 sociology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Sociology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
68 Sociology Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in sociology. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$41,134 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in sociology has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly 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 44 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the sociology major at Northwestern University make $9,150 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in sociology from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Sociology Degrees Awarded
1.3% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 75 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, sociology degree recipients usually make about $32,827 in their early careers.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Sociology Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in sociology needs to look into University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the large 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 about 81 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,444.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$33,278 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 48 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program report average early career earnings of $33,278.

More information about a degree in sociology from Loyola University Chicago

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$34,527 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 69 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Those sociology students who get their degree from Illinois State University earn $2,543 more than the standard sociology graduate.

More information about a degree in sociology from Illinois State University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In IL

Located in the 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 schools nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were approximately 8 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Wheaton College Illinois

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Sociology Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 80 sociology students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, sociology degree recipients usually make around $33,211 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in sociology from Northern Illinois University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In IL
25.0% Growth in Graduates

SIUC is a large public university located in the small city of Carbondale. A Best Colleges rank of #545 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 12 sociology students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,950 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

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 12 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent data year. Those sociology students who get their degree from Elmhurst University earn $2,966 more than the average sociology student.

More information about a degree in sociology from Elmhurst University

Best Sociology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Sociology Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 550
Ohio 314 702
Indiana 294 471
Wisconsin 273 504

View All Rankings >

Sociology is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Sociology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 841

View All Sociology Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Sociology

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

View All Sociology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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