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2024 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

257 Colleges in the United States
12,290 Master's Degrees
$52,728 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 257 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12,290 master's degrees in public administration to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Master's Degree

Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools 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:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public administration students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Admin Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Public Admin

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

It's hard to beat Harvard University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

Public Administration master's degree recipients from Harvard University earn a boost of approximately $48,243 above the average income of public administration graduates.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Harvard University

2

Northwestern University is a good option for students 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 $13,283 more than the average public admin graduate.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Northwestern University

3
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

New York University is one of the best schools in the country 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.

Public Administration master's degree recipients from New York University receive an earnings boost of around $23,288 above the typical earnings of public administration graduates.

More information about a master’s in public administration from New York University

4

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $21,473 more than the standard public admin graduate.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Public Administration master's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of approximately $20,857 above the typical earnings of public administration majors.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Pennsylvania

6

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from University of Southern California make $15,536 more than the average public admin student.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Southern California

7
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from American University receive $17,006 more than the standard public admin student.

More information about a master’s in public administration from American University

8

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Johns Hopkins University earn $32,058 more than the average public admin student.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Johns Hopkins University

9
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY

Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.

Public Administration master's degree recipients from Syracuse University receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,948 over the average income of public administration majors.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University

10

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn around $52,167 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Indiana University - Bloomington

11

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $30,506 more than the standard public admin grad.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

12
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the public administration degree program at Villanova University make $10,323 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Villanova University

13

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public admin program report average early career wages of $48,756.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Ohio State University - Main Campus

14

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the public administration major at University of Washington - Seattle Campus get $5,439 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

15
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

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 earn $6,642 more than the average public admin student.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech

16

Mizzou is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia.

Master's recipients from the public administration major at University of Missouri - Columbia get $7,485 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Missouri - Columbia

17

Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Master's recipients from the public administration program at Anna Maria College earn $45,198 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Anna Maria College

18
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA

Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Seattle.

Master's recipients from the public administration degree program at Seattle University earn $11,293 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Seattle University

19

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.

Master's recipients from the public administration degree program at Cornell University make $10,460 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Cornell University

20

Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the public administration program at California State University - Northridge get $18,064 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from California State University - Northridge

21

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $8,001 more than the typical public admin graduate.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Carnegie Mellon University

22

GMU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Master's recipients from the public administration program at George Mason University get $13,754 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in public administration from George Mason University

23

Located in the large city of Newark, Rutgers Newark is a public university with a large student population.

After graduating, public admin master's recipients typically make about $52,549 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Rutgers University - Newark

24
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, NY

Located in the large city of New York, Baruch is a public college with a large student population.

Master's recipients from the public administration major at Baruch College make $12,108 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Baruch College

25

Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, public admin master's recipients typically earn around $53,305 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Texas A&M University - College Station

Rest of the Top Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

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28
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
29
30
31
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University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
32

33
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC

34
35
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University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
36
37
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
38

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration students that almost earned our Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
38 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
39 University of Georgia Athens, GA
40 Golden Gate University - San Francisco San Francisco, CA
41 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
42 Suffolk University Boston, MA
43 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
44 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
45 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
46 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
47 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
48 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
49 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
50 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
51 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL

Public Administration by Region

View the Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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

Public Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 12,282
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies 8

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Policy 3,153
Human Services 1,153
Community Organization & Advocacy 633
Other Public Administration 213

Notes and References

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