Best Community programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
All community and social service specialists not listed.
25 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 516 people a year. The job pays a median of $40,900 in Illinois across about 2,750 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.
6 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 39.0701In Illinois → | 147 | 28.5% | 8 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 2 | CIP 30.1701In Illinois → | 127 | 24.6% | 6 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 3 | CIP 44.0201In Illinois → | 92 | 17.8% | 4 | $39,102 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 44.0000In Illinois → | 76 | 14.7% | 8 | $35,168 | $29,279 |
| 5 | CIP 39.0799In Illinois → | 38 | 7.4% | 6 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 6 | CIP 19.0711In Illinois → | 36 | 7.0% | 1 | $31,642 | $23,092 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 25 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 93 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 76 | Community Organization and Advocacy | $61,009 | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 3 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 62 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 45% | — | 71% |
| 4 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $35,426 | 62% | $24,848 | 83% |
| 5 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Early Childhood and Family Studies | $46,954 | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 6 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Human Services, General | — | 21% | — | — |
| 7 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 8 | Catholic Theological Union at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Elgin Community College Elgin, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Human Services, General | — | 41% | — | — |
| 10 | Northern Baptist Theological Seminary Lisle, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | East - West University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Behavioral Sciences | $37,135 | 16% | $24,900 | — |
| 12 | Trinity International University - Illinois Deerfield, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 46% | $20,539 | 100% |
| 13 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Community Organization and Advocacy | — | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 14 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Human Services, General | — | 53% | — | 86% |
| 15 | Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | McCormick Theological Seminary Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Quincy University Quincy, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Human Services, General | $32,726 | 45% | $17,003 | 51% |
| 19 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Community Organization and Advocacy | — | 85% | — | 42% |
| 21 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 22 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Human Services, General | $29,062 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 23 | Judson University Elgin, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Human Services, General | $37,671 | 60% | $25,200 | 48% |
| 24 | Dominican University River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Human Services, General | — | 55% | $16,176 | 90% |
| 25 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
All 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 93 | 4 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 76 | 2 |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public | 62 | 2 |
| Moody Bible Institute | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 2 |
| National Louis University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Joliet Junior College | Joliet | Public | 29 | 1 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 2 |
| Catholic Theological Union at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 1 |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | Public | 19 | 1 |
| Northern Baptist Theological Seminary | Lisle | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| East - West University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Trinity International University - Illinois | Deerfield | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 2 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
What community and social service specialists, all other earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $56,730. Illinois pays below 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 Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other page.
How to become a Community
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
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 Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0710Developmental Services Worker
- 19.0711Early Childhood and Family Studies
- 19.0712Parent Education Services
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.2502Contemplative Studies/Inquiry
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0799Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other
- 44.0000Human Services, General
- 44.0201Community Organization and Advocacy
Common questions
Answers for people weighing community and social service specialists, all other programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Community?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Pastoral Studies/Counseling, which awarded 147 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 28.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Community?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Behavioral Sciences, Community Organization and Advocacy, Human Services, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 516 people a year in Illinois.
How much do community and social service specialists, all other earn in Illinois?+
The median is $40,900 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 27.9% below the U.S. median of $56,730. 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 community and social service specialists, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +4.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 13,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
25 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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