2023 Most Popular Master's Degree 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 291 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular master's degree 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 Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the most popular school in the Great Lakes Region for students working on their master’s degree. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 5,216 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Northwestern does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 2% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. This large public school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 4,916 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at U-M. In fact, around 74% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,812 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
UIUC 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, 90% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Out of the 291 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Addison, Illinois, the large private for-profit school awarded 4,033 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 90% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Chamberlain - Illinois is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
The excellent master’s degree programs at American College of Education helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Great Lakes Region . American College of Education is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 3,484 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.
Since the graduate programs at American College of Education are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,326 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 44% were women.
Purdue University Global came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the large public school awarded 3,253 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Purdue University Global is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school awarded 3,108 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Columbus, Ohio, the large public school awarded 2,828 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Ohio 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,751 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
DePaul 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, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #11, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 2,641 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.
IU Bloomington does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. 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.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 2,565 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UW - Madison. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Ball State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,364 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Ball State. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #14, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 2,255 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 45% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Purdue does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 60% took at least some of their classes online.
Michigan State University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 2,227 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Michigan State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,193 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIC. In fact, around 95% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Wayne State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This large public school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 2,076 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Wayne State. In 2019-2020 about 75% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. OHIO Athens is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 2,031 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since OHIO Athens does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 70% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,929 students in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at IUPUI. In fact, around 71% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Case Western Reserve University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Case Western is located in Cleveland, Ohio and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,598 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Case Western. During the 2019-2020 year, about 17% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. DeVry University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1,520 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DeVry University - Illinois. In 2019-2020 about 97% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #22, Central Michigan University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the fairly large public school awarded 1,506 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
Central Michigan 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 61% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in Kent, Ohio, the large public school handed out 1,468 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.
Kent 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in Marion, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,500 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
One thing to take note of is that IWU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 90% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 1,377 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 67% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Concordia University, Chicago. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Not only did these schools make the top 44 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
View Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | University of Michigan - Dearborn | Dearborn, MI |
| 45 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 47 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 48 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 49 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL |
| 50 | Spring Arbor University | Spring Arbor, MI |
| 51 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 52 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, IL |
| 53 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 54 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, IL |
| 55 | Roosevelt University | Chicago, IL |
| 56 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
| 57 | Concordia University, Wisconsin | Mequon, WI |
| 58 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL |
| 59 | Ashland University | Ashland, OH |
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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