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2025 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

13 Colleges in the Plains States Region
710 Master's Degrees
$63,452 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.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 710 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 in the Plains States Region 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 in the Plains States Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Master's in Public Admin

1

It is difficult to beat University of Missouri - Columbia if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia.

Master's recipients from the public administration degree program at University of Missouri - Columbia get $2,384 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration. KU is a very large public university located in the city of Lawrence.

Students who graduate with their master's from the public admin program report average early career earnings of $58,188.

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

3

It's difficult to beat University of North Dakota if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public university with a large student population.

After graduating, public admin master's recipients usually make around $64,701 in the first five years of their career.

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

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
12 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in public administration has to take a look at University of Iowa. Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City.More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Iowa

5

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

After graduating, public admin master's recipients usually earn around $58,548 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha

6
21 Annual Graduates

St. Cloud State University is a large public university located in the small city of Saint Cloud.More information about a master’s in public administration from Saint Cloud State University

7

Located in the city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, public admin master's recipients typically earn about $42,399 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in public administration from Missouri State University - Springfield

8
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO

Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, public admin master's recipients generally make an average of $62,141 in their early careers.

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

9
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE

Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Bellevue.

Public Administration master's degree recipients from Bellevue University earn a boost of about $10,828 over the typical earnings of public administration majors.

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

10

Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Upper Iowa University receive $3,285 more than the standard public admin graduate.

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

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 193 294
Minnesota 174 322
Iowa 154 62
Kansas 149 70
Nebraska 123 90
North Dakota 115 14
South Dakota 89 20

View All Rankings >

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 710

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 211
Public Policy 98
Community Organization & Advocacy 87

Notes and References

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