by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Public Administration is the 49th most popular major in the country with 15,999 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 11,787 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, we looked at 369 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. That schools that top this list have a program in public administration in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The public admin school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree public admin students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Calumet College of Saint Joseph. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. CCSJ is located in Whiting, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anna Maria College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Paxton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 90 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Anna Maria College
Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Evergreen State College landed the #3 spot on the list. Olympia, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 48 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at The Evergreen State College
Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Barry University landed the #4 spot on the list. Barry University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 123 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Middlebury Institute is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 27 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
With a ranking of #7, Alfred University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Alfred, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 30 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Alfred University
University of Baltimore landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. University of Baltimore is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 45 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Baltimore
Hilbert College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Hilbert College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamburg, New York. It awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Alaska Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #10. UAS is a public institution located in Juneau, Alaska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Alaska Southeast Public Administration Report
John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. John Jay is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 176 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full John Jay College of Criminal Justice Public Administration Report
Marist College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Marist College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Poughkeepsie, New York. It awarded 61 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #13. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 54 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Guam did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #15. University of Guam is located in Mangilao, Guam and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Clark University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Clark is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 52 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Virginia International University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Virginia International University is a small school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 0 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Public Administration at Virginia International University
Notre Dame de Namur University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #18. Belmont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Administration at Notre Dame de Namur University
Southern University and A & M College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Southern University and A & M College is a medium-sized public school situated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It awarded 36 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Public Administration at Southern University and A & M College
With a ranking of #20, Randall University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Randall is a small school located in Moore, Oklahoma that handed out 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, American University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. The American University is a fairly large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 155 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at American University
North Carolina Central University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 58 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full North Carolina Central University Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #23, Rutgers University - Newark did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Newark, New Jersey is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 128 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Rutgers University - Newark
Reinhardt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Waleska, Georgia, and it awarded 5 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Reinhardt University
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 52 | University of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC |
| 53 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 54 | The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX |
| 55 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
| 56 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
