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2025 Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region

58 Colleges in the Southeast Region
3,800 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public administration, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #60 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 58 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of public administration. Combined, these schools handed out 3,800 degrees in public administration to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region Your choice of public administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Public Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Public Administration Degree Level

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration in the Southeast Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public admin degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Southeast Region Schools in Public Admin

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$74,121 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in public administration. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 44 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from Virginia Tech earn $14,663 more than the standard public admin student.

More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Tech

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
9.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in public administration needs to check out George Mason University. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were about 130 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration degree program at George Mason University get $13,933 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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
59 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$48,396 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in public administration has to check out James Madison University. JMU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 59 public administration students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public admin degree recipients typically earn an average of $48,396 in their early careers.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
1.5% Growth in Graduates

Florida International University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in public administration. FIU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Miami. This university ranks 13th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 266 public administration students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program report average early career earnings of $53,643.

More information about a degree in public administration from Florida International University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receive $7,076 more than the typical public admin student.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
24.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 259 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program report average early career income of $57,882.

More information about a degree in public administration from Liberty University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$47,632 Median Starting Salary

UCF is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Orlando. A Best Colleges rank of #217 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 203 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career wages of $47,632.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Central Florida

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MBA in Public Administration Program Name

Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AL
76 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

Auburn is a fairly large public university located in the city of Auburn. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Auburn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 76 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public administration from Auburn University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 82 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program earn about $54,613 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Georgia

10
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make an average of $52,279 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration from Florida State University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
19.6% Growth in Graduates

NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 51 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career earnings of $51,393.

More information about a degree in public administration from North Carolina State University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
12 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
13 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
14 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
15 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
16 Barry University Miami, FL
17 Tennessee State University Nashville, TN
18 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
19 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 399
Florida 282 926
North Carolina 279 436
Virginia 274 523
Tennessee 269 81
South Carolina 248 83
Kentucky 244 118
Louisiana 242 121
Mississippi 234 80
Arkansas 234 179
Alabama 233 358
West Virginia 207 132

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Public Administration & Social Service area of study, Public Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 3,794
Public Administration (Other) 4
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies 2

View All Public Admin Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 2,614
Public Policy 1,271
Community Organization & Advocacy 197
Other Public Administration 126

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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