2023 Most Popular Business Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
With all the business programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Most Popular Business Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Business Degree Central has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 45 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree programs were the most popular for business students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
Featured schools near , edit
Most Popular Business Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the most popular school for business students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,787 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 35% 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. In 2019-2020 about 2% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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 most popular business schools in Illinois. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the large public school handed out 1,794 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.
UIUC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 90% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you attend DeVry University - Illinois. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. DeVry University - Illinois is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,429 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at DeVry University - Illinois, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular business schools in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,194 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 33% of those degree recipients were women.
The excellent master’s degree programs at DePaul University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular business schools in Illinois. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,046 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DePaul. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 383 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UIC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #7, Benedictine University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for business students working on their master’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 332 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Benedictine U does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 327 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 37% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that NIU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 43% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 281 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 49% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Loyola Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 92% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 212 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Roosevelt. In fact, around 44% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 196 students in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Concordia University, Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 98% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #12, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for business students working on their master’s degree. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 176 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 SIUE does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Lewis University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 164 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Lewis. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Aurora University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 153 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Aurora does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 87% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 150 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 81% took at least some of their classes online.
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 122 students in 2020-2021.
Around 53% of those degree recipients were women.
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Elmhurst University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 108 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Elmhurst, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 64% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #18, Saint Xavier University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for business students working on their master’s degree. SXU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 106 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at SXU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 63% took at least some of their classes online.
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 100 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 34% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Illinois Tech does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 42% took at least some of their classes online.
McKendree University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 77 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that McKendree does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 68% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
National Louis University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 75 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NLU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 59% took at least some of their classes online.
North Park University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. North Park University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 74 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at North Park. In fact, around 92% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of St Francis landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree business programs. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 73 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 49% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of Saint Francis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 51% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SIUC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 24% took at least some of their classes online.
Bradley University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 69 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 42% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Bradley. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Most Popular Business Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
View Most Popular Business Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
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.
Featured Schools
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs.
Visit School
BusinessDegreeCentral.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© BusinessDegreeCentral.com – All Rights Reserved.