Best Chief Executive programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body.
92 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 16,752 people a year. The job pays a median of $331,920 in Illinois across about 4,620 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0201In Illinois → | 8,229 | 49.1% | 81 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 52.1301In Illinois → | 4,118 | 24.6% | 22 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0101In Illinois → | 2,030 | 12.1% | 17 | $44,700 | $24,000 |
| 4 | CIP 52.0801In Illinois → | 1,556 | 9.3% | 32 | $53,572 | $23,672 |
| 5 | CIP 44.0401In Illinois → | 289 | 1.7% | 13 | $45,374 | $26,000 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0701In Illinois → | 253 | 1.5% | 28 | $43,803 | $23,374 |
| 7 | CIP 52.1101In Illinois → | 136 | 0.8% | 14 | $51,261 | $23,361 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0206In Illinois → | 135 | 0.8% | 6 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 9 | CIP 52.0704In Illinois → | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,803 | $23,374 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 41 of the 92 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeVry University - Illinois Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 2,908 | Business/Commerce, General | $43,716 | 37% | $32,381 | 98% |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,921 | Management Science | — | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,717 | Business Administration and Management, General | $68,442 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 4 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,326 | Management Science | — | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 5 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 911 | Business Administration and Management, General | $48,920 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 6 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 845 | Business Administration and Management, General | $65,781 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 7 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 4 feeder programs | 485 | Business Administration and Management, General | $50,647 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 8 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 418 | Management Science | — | 67% | $17,632 | 71% |
| 9 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 391 | Business Administration and Management, General | $64,513 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 4 feeder programs | 388 | Business Administration and Management, General | $52,724 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 353 | Business Administration and Management, General | $43,753 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 12 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 348 | Business Administration and Management, General | $44,236 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 13 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 310 | Business Administration and Management, General | $48,843 | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 14 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 307 | Business Administration and Management, General | $42,992 | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
| 15 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 296 | Business Administration and Management, General | $45,096 | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 16 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 250 | Business Administration and Management, General | $49,611 | 50% | $23,570 | 95% |
| 17 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 185 | Business Administration and Management, General | $43,658 | 58% | $18,494 | 69% |
| 18 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 168 | Business Administration and Management, General | $39,887 | 21% | — | — |
| 19 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 164 | Business Administration and Management, General | $44,436 | 22% | — | 48% |
| 20 | Concordia University - Chicago River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 151 | Business Administration and Management, General | $44,581 | 36% | $17,620 | 93% |
| 21 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 132 | Business Administration and Management, General | $49,771 | 70% | $20,794 | 74% |
| 22 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 121 | Business Administration and Management, General | $43,339 | 53% | $23,994 | 72% |
| 23 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 120 | Business Administration and Management, General | $45,137 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 24 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 113 | Business Administration and Management, General | — | 47% | — | 65% |
| 25 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Business/Commerce, General | $44,283 | 78% | $25,052 | 57% |
All 92 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeVry University - Illinois | Lisle | Private for-profit | 2,908 | 3 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 1,921 | 4 |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 1,717 | 5 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 1,326 | 4 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 911 | 6 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 845 | 5 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 485 | 4 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville | Private not-for-profit | 418 | 4 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 391 | 7 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 388 | 4 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 353 | 2 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 348 | 2 |
| Aurora University | Aurora | Private not-for-profit | 310 | 3 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 307 | 4 |
| National Louis University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 296 | 3 |
What chief executives earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $213,990. Illinois pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Chief Executives page.
How to become a Chief Executive
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Chief Executives9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 44.0401Public Administration
- 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
- 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
- 52.0206Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
- 52.0701Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies
- 52.0704Social Entrepreneurship
- 52.0801Finance, General
- 52.1101International Business/Trade/Commerce
- 52.1301Management Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing chief executives programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Chief Executive?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 8,229 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 49.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chief Executive?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Business/Commerce, Finance and Financial Management Services, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 16,752 people a year in Illinois.
How much do chief executives earn in Illinois?+
The median is $331,920 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 55.1% above the U.S. median of $213,990. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for chief executives growing?+
BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 22,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
92 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do chief executives work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records President, Sustainability Manager, Sustainability Director, Sustainable Design Director, CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-1011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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