2023 Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Economics Master's Degree School for You
With 2,155 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, economics is the #13 most popular major in Illinois.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Economics Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for economics students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Economics Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for economics students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. Illinois State is a fairly 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 also made our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value economics schools in Illinois. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UIUC are $17,823 a year.
UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
Full Economics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at WIU are $12,182 per year.
Full Economics at Western Illinois University Report
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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 Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at EIU are $10,640 a year.
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With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.
SIUC graduate students pay an average of $16,162 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.
UIC graduate students pay an average of $17,277 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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DePaul University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at DePaul are $18,341 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small 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 Economics Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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Roosevelt University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Roosevelt graduate students pay an average of $21,605 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Economics at Roosevelt University
Request InformationBest Value Economics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,496 |
| Ohio | 1,136 |
| Indiana | 889 |
| Wisconsin | 1,225 |
More Economics Rankings in Illinois
Economics Related Majors for Economics
Economics is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Economics
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 11 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 pixabay.
More about our data sources and methodologies.