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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois

27 Colleges in Illinois
5,971 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. Combined, these schools handed out 5,971 degrees in social sciences to qualified students.

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
1,458 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences has to take a look at University of Chicago. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large 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 1458 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Chicago receive an earnings boost of around $13,120 over the average income of social sciences majors.

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

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

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the 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 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 651 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Northwestern University make $12,961 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northwestern University

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

It is difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. UIUC is a very 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 about 927 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 state that they receive average early career income 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
360 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
3.1% 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 large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 360 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the social sciences program earn around $32,898 in their early career salary.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 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 approximately 97 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Wheaton College Illinois earn $6,959 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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
82 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,540 Median Starting Salary

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 82 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Lake Forest in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Lake Forest College make $4,243 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
316 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

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 about 316 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 state that they receive average early career income of $30,353.

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

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

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

There were approximately 158 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 report average early career income of $31,151.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
237 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.4% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 236.99999999999997 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 receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,237 over the typical earnings of social sciences majors.

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

10
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
48 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the 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 schools nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Elmhurst University earn $3,317 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

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 Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Indiana382,925
Michigan384,194
Ohio384,882
Wisconsin373,477

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics2,222
Political Science & Government1,528
Sociology798
International Relations & National Security373
Anthropology300
General Social Sciences254
Geography & Cartography159
Sociology & Anthropology51
Other Social Sciences45
Urban Studies18

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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