by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for education students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 588 doctor's degrees in education during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of education for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality education program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for education students working on their doctor's degree.
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Education Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for education students seeking a a doctor's degree.
It's difficult to beat Illinois State University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in education. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the suburb of Normal.More information about a doctorate in education from Illinois State University
Concordia University, Chicago is a great choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in education. Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in education from Concordia University, Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in education. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a doctorate in education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northern Illinois University is a wonderful option for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in education. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University
Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in education from Loyola University Chicago
Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.More information about a doctorate in education from Bradley University
NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in education from National Louis University
Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora.More information about a doctorate in education from Aurora University
University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Joliet.More information about a doctorate in education from University of St Francis
Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in education from Western Illinois University
Explore all the Best Education Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Educational Administration | 333 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 101 |
| General Education | 51 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 28 |
| Student Counseling | 23 |
| Other Education | 17 |
| Educational Assessment | 12 |
| Special Education | 9 |
| Education Philosophy | 6 |
| Instructional Media Design | 5 |
