2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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 and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 205 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular graduate certificate programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found DeVry University - Illinois to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Great Lakes Region . DeVry University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 821 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at DeVry University - Illinois. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 671 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from UC accumulate an average of $21,388 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
UC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 82% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 561 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Ball State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in Muncie, Indiana, the large public school handed out 548 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 86% were women.
Ball State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 402 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $33,486 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Purdue University Global are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 336 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Loyola Chicago does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 92% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Benedictine University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 326 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 86% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Benedictine U. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
American College of Education did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. This medium-sized private for-profit school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 293 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
American College of Education is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 293 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Graduate Certificate recipients from U-M accumulate an average of $20,014 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since U-M does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #10, Viterbo University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This small private not-for-profit school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 285 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $24,230 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Viterbo does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 72% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 283 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 45% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UW - Madison does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 75% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Normal, Illinois, the large public school handed out 278 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 74% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Illinois State does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 81% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Michigan State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 257 students in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Michigan State. In fact, around 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management
Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the small public school awarded 247 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 19% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 245 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at IU Bloomington. In fact, around 74% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. IUPUI is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 241 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
IUPUI does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Dayton ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 231 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 40% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UDayton. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.
Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 226 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,679 in student loans. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Northwestern. During the 2019-2020 year, about 2% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. OHIO Athens is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 202 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 54% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that OHIO Athens does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 70% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Wayne State University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Wayne State is located in Detroit, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 199 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
Wayne State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the large public school handed out 169 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
Purdue does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 60% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 149 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Ohio State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 76% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Marion, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 135 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at IWU. In fact, around 90% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
National Louis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 134 students in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at NLU. In 2019-2020 about 59% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 133 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at EIU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
View Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Michigan Technological University | Houghton, MI |
| 32 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
| 34 | Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 35 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, IL |
| 36 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 37 | Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN |
| 37 | University of St Francis | Joliet, IL |
| 37 | Concordia University, Chicago | River Forest, IL |
| 40 | Concordia University, Wisconsin | Mequon, WI |
| 41 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 41 | Alverno College | Milwaukee, WI |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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