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2025 Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia

6 Colleges in Virginia
651 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in public administration, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #49 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 651 degrees in public administration to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia 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

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

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 Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Virginia

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.

Top Virginia Schools in Public Admin

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In VA
42 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration has to look into Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 42 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Tech

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In VA
130 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat George Mason University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 130 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from George Mason 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
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In VA
59 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat James Madison University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 59 public administration students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from James Madison University

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
259 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 259 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from Liberty University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In VA
41 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

VCU is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond. This university ranks 8th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 41 public administration students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In VA

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 18 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Regent in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from Regent University

Best Public Administration Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 715 926
North Carolina 710 436
Georgia 690 399
Tennessee 624 81
South Carolina 530 83
Kentucky 518 118
Mississippi 501 80
Alabama 500 358
Louisiana 489 121
Arkansas 466 179
West Virginia 410 132

View All Rankings >

One of 3 majors within the Public Administration area of study, Public Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies 2

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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