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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$32,427 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$46,931 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, liberal arts general studies was ranked 2nd in Illinois. In fact, 18,292 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 6 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the liberal arts master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Liberal Arts General Studies

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Springfield to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UIS are $11,111 per year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

The excellent master’s degree programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Illinois. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

WIU graduate students pay an average of $12,182 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Western Illinois University Report

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

The excellent master’s degree programs at DePaul University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at DePaul are $18,341 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at DePaul University

#4

North Central College

Naperville, IL

The excellent master’s degree programs at North Central College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Illinois. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Naperville.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at North Central are $15,822 per year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at North Central College Report

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Northwestern are $56,567 a year.

Northwestern not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

UChicago graduate students pay an average of $63,936 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UChicago did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 9,711
Ohio 11,432
Indiana 3,815
Wisconsin 2,376

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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