by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 248 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 12,282 master's degrees in public administration to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The public admin master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master'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.
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 public administration students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Harvard University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Harvard University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in public administration needs to look into Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Northwestern University
New York University is a good decision for students interested in a master's degree in public administration. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in public administration from New York University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a great option for students pursuing a master's degree in public administration. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in public administration from Columbia University in the City of New York
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Southern California
Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from American University
Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University
Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Indiana University - Bloomington
UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in public administration from Villanova University
Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Ohio State University - Main Campus
UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.More information about a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech
Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Missouri - Columbia
Anna Maria is a small private not-for-profit college located in the rural area of Paxton.More information about a master’s in public administration from Anna Maria College
Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Seattle University
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from Cornell University
CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Northridge.More information about a master’s in public administration from California State University - Northridge
Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.More information about a master’s in public administration from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration from George Mason University
Rutgers Newark is a large public university located in the city of Newark.More information about a master’s in public administration from Rutgers University - Newark
Baruch is a fairly large public college located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in public administration from Baruch College
Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.More information about a master’s in public administration from Texas A&M University - College Station
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 38 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 39 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 40 | Golden Gate University - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 41 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 42 | Suffolk University | Boston, MA |
| 43 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 44 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 45 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 46 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 47 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 48 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX |
| 49 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 49 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
View the Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Public Administration is one of 3 different types of Public Administration programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies | 8 |