2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Social Sciences Master's Degree School for You
With 205,984 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the #6 most popular major in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 40 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for social sciences 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 Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 a year.
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Out of the 40 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northern Illinois University is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
Out-of-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 Western Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WIU are $12,182 a year.
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Out of the 40 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,936 per year.
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Marquette University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Marquette are $21,960 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Marquette also is in the top 10% of our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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Indiana State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Indiana State is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Terre Haute.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Indiana State are $15,562 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Madison also did well on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UWM are $25,651 per year.
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Loyola University Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Loyola Chicago are $19,894 a year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Loyola University Chicago
Request InformationBest Social Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best social sciences schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 2,941 |
| Michigan | 4,213 |
| Ohio | 4,915 |
| Illinois | 5,866 |
| Wisconsin | 3,504 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Social Sciences Related Majors for Social Sciences
Social Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
| Criminology | 11,039 |
| Geography & Cartography | 8,526 |
| Other Social Sciences | 2,414 |
| Urban Studies | 1,507 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 541 |
| Archeology | 339 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 88 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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