2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree School for You
Physical Sciences is the #20 most popular major in Illinois with 1,686 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for physical sciences students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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.
Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Physical Sciences
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $9,773 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Illinois State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at WIU are $12,182 per year.
Full Physical Sciences at Western Illinois University Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UIUC are $17,823 per year.
UIUC also made our Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Illinois Tech graduate students pay an average of $30,822 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UIC are $17,277 per year.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
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Northwestern University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Northwestern are $56,567 a year.
Northwestern also made our Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #1.
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University of Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree physical sciences programs. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UChicago are $63,936 per year.
UChicago also made our Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Chicago Report
Request InformationBest Value Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 951 |
| Michigan | 1,288 |
| Ohio | 1,581 |
| Wisconsin | 873 |
More Physical Sciences Rankings in Illinois
Majors Related to Physical Sciences
Physical Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
| Materials Sciences | 658 |
| Other Physical Science | 538 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 38 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Physical Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 8 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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