2025 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools
Public Administration is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 174 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public administration. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,984 master's degrees in public administration during the <nil> academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of public administration for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality public admin program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to public administration students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other public administration students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for public administration to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized public administration related body.
Our complete 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 the Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration in the United States
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 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Master's in Public Admin
New York University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from New York University receive $21,952 more than the standard public admin grad.
More information about a master’s in public administration from New York University
It is hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Master's recipients from the public administration program at University of Southern California make $17,518 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Southern California
Northwestern University is a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in public administration. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Northwestern University earn $12,325 more than the typical public admin student.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Northwestern University
Syracuse University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Syracuse University make $21,853 more than the typical public admin graduate.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.
Soon after graduation, public admin master's recipients generally earn about $57,990 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Indiana University - Bloomington
Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of about $9,457 over the typical earnings of public administration graduates.
More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Virginia Tech make $13,186 more than the typical public admin student.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.
After graduation, public admin master's recipients generally make around $58,937 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from California State University - Northridge receive an earnings boost of around $17,024 over the typical earnings of public administration graduates.
More information about a master’s in public administration from California State University - Northridge
Located in the large city of Newark, Rutgers Newark is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the public admin program report average early career wages of $58,428.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Rutgers University - Newark
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