2025 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
If you pursue a master's degree in
public administration, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #19 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 8 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public administration. Combined, these schools handed out 295 master's degrees in public administration to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Master's Degree
The public admin master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on public administration students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of public administration students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt public administration students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- 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 schools for public administration students working on their master's degree.
More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools
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 Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration in Illinois
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for public administration students seeking a a master's degree.
Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Public Admin
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in public administration needs to check out Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from Northwestern University receive an earnings boost of around $13,742 over the average earnings of public administration majors.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Northwestern University
It is hard to beat University of Illinois at Chicago if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the public admin program earn around $59,815 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Illinois at Chicago
It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Springfield if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. UIS is a small public university located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
After graduation, public admin master's recipients typically make about $61,014 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Illinois at Springfield
Aurora University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora.
After graduating, public admin master's recipients usually make about $42,605 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Aurora University
Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from Northern Illinois University earn a boost of about $3,331 over the average earnings of public administration majors.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Northern Illinois University
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