2025 Best Public Administration Schools in California
19
Colleges in California
1,612
Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
public administration, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #60 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual looked at 19 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Public Administration Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,612 degrees in public administration annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Public Administration School
The public admin program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Administration rankings. We derive our Best Overall Public Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Public Administration Rankings by Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Administration Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Public Administration in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public admin degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Public Admin
University of Southern California is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 111 public administration students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of around $18,995 over the average earnings of public administration majors.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Southern California
Any student who is interested in public administration needs to check out California State University - Northridge. CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Northridge. This university ranks 48th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 265 public administration students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration major at California State University - Northridge earn $18,256 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in public administration from California State University - Northridge
Bachelors
Degree Type
BS in Business Administration - Public Administration
Program Name
Prepare yourself to make the decisions that best serve a community, its constituents and its economic growth with this specialized business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BS in Business Administration - Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Any student pursuing a degree in public administration has to look into California Baptist University. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside. This university ranks 66th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 70 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Cal Baptist in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from California Baptist University earn $17,868 more than the standard public admin student.
More information about a degree in public administration from California Baptist University
California State University - Long Beach is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 124 public administration students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration degree recipients from California State University - Long Beach receive an earnings boost of about $4,965 above the typical income of public administration graduates.
More information about a degree in public administration from California State University - Long Beach
National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #249 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means National University is a great university overall.
There were about 113 public administration students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from National University receive $14,064 more than the typical public admin grad.
More information about a degree in public administration from National University
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 94 public administration students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. After graduating, public admin degree recipients usually make about $47,536 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in public administration from San Diego State University
Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fullerton. A Best Colleges rank of #271 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal State Fullerton is a great university overall.
There were approximately 67 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make around $36,626 for their early career.
More information about a degree in public administration from California State University - Fullerton
Masters
Degree Type
MBA in Public Administration
Program Name
Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 91st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 105 public administration students who graduated with this degree at CSUDH in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program earn around $61,213 for their early career.
More information about a degree in public administration from California State University - Dominguez Hills
CSUSB is a large public university located in the midsize city of San Bernardino. This university ranks 82nd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 78 public administration students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program earn about $61,002 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in public administration from California State University - San Bernardino
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 29 public administration students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration major at San Francisco State University get $25,664 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in public administration from San Francisco State University
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