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2024 Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

79 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
3,052 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$31,085 Avg Early-Career Salary
Sociology is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #25 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 79 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for sociology students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,052 degrees in sociology during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Sociology School

Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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. For our Best Overall Sociology 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 Sociology Degree Level

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

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 Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Sociology in the Great Lakes Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the sociology degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Sociology

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

University of Chicago is a great option for students pursuing a degree in sociology. 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 67 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
48 Sociology Degrees Awarded
8.3% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in sociology. 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 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 48 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the sociology major at Northwestern University make $10,049 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in sociology from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
54 Sociology Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat University of Notre Dame if you want to pursue a degree in sociology. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 54 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$37,772 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in sociology. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 119 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Sociology degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of about $6,687 over the typical income of sociology majors.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$30,003 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 146 sociology students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $30,003 for their early career.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Sociology Degrees Awarded
19.4% Growth in Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the 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 93 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,827.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Sociology Degrees Awarded
15.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 141 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the sociology program at Purdue University - Main Campus make $4,726 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in sociology from Purdue University - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Sociology Degrees Awarded
$35,052 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 104 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Those sociology students who get their degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus receive $3,967 more than the average sociology graduate.

More information about a degree in sociology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Sociology Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 124 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,092.

More information about a degree in sociology from Michigan State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Sociology Degrees Awarded
27.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were roughly 37 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, sociology degree recipients typically earn an average of $27,596 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in sociology from Case Western Reserve University

11
DePauw crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$46,689 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 5th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 10 sociology students who graduated with this degree at DePauw in the most recent year we have data available. Those sociology students who get their degree from DePauw University receive $15,604 more than the typical sociology student.

More information about a degree in sociology from DePauw University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Sociology students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Sociology Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
12Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
13University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
14Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
15Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH
16Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
17Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH
18Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
19Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH

Best Sociology Colleges by State

Explore the best sociology schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan322550
Ohio314702
Illinois304841
Indiana294471
Wisconsin273504

View All Rankings >

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

Sociology Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Sociology3,028
Rural Sociology24

View All Sociology Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics6,646
Political Science & Government5,684
International Relations & National Security1,159
Anthropology1,147
Geography & Cartography1,007
General Social Sciences655
Other Social Sciences180
Urban Studies103
Sociology & Anthropology80
Archeology72

View All Sociology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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