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2025 Best Public Administration Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

21 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
3,063 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public administration is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #60 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,063 degrees in public administration annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public administration schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

Associate Degrees in Public Admin
Bachelor's Degrees in Public Admin
Master's Degrees in Public Admin
Doctor's Degrees in Public Admin

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration in the Middle Atlantic Region

The schools below may not offer all types of public admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Public Admin

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$82,887 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in public administration needs to check out New York University. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 178 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from New York University receive $23,429 more than the average public admin graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration from New York University

2
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
292 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
3.8% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Syracuse University if you want to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were roughly 292 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration program at Syracuse University get $11,547 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from Syracuse University

Sponsored
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 University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$58,428 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in public administration has to look into Rutgers University - Newark. Rutgers Newark is a large public university located in the city of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #164 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rutgers Newark is a great university overall.

There were about 134 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Newark in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program report average early career earnings of $58,428.

More information about a degree in public administration from Rutgers University - Newark

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$61,190 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Cornell University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 73 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program make around $61,190 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public administration from Cornell University

5
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
196 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$71,364 Median Starting Salary

Baruch is a fairly large public college located in the large city of New York. This college ranks 26th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 196 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Baruch in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from Baruch College make $11,906 more than the average public admin graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration from Baruch College

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
11.0% Growth in Graduates

UAlbany is a large public university located in the city of Albany. This university ranks 27th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 82 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UAlbany in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from University at Albany get an earnings boost of around $2,283 above the typical income of public administration majors.

More information about a degree in public administration from University at Albany

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,098 Median Starting Salary

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 61 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make an average of $59,098 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Sponsored
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 University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
219 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$61,440 Median Starting Salary

John Jay is a large public college located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #163 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means John Jay is a great college overall.

There were approximately 219 public administration students who graduated with this degree at John Jay in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career income of $61,440.

More information about a degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
17.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Adelphi, UMGC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #179 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMGC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 93 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UMGC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration program at University of Maryland Global Campus earn $14,595 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Maryland Global Campus

10
Marist crest
Marist College
Poughkeepsie, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$84,712 Median Starting Salary

Marist is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie. A Best Colleges rank of #177 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Marist is a great college overall.

There were roughly 61 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Marist in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration major at Marist College earn $25,254 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from Marist College

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 405
New York 333 1,826
Maryland 279 240
New Jersey 273 348
District of Columbia 188 288
Delaware 175 29

View All Rankings >

Public Administration is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Admin Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 3,041
Public Administration (Other) 22

View All Public Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 2,540
Public Policy 1,536
Community Organization & Advocacy 743
Other Public Administration 247

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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