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2025 Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region

20 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,811 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public administration is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #60 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,811 degrees in public administration annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region The public admin program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Administration rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public administration schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Public Administration Rankings by Degree Level

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

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 Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of public admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Public Admin

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$55,985 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is a good option for students interested in a degree in public administration. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 81 public administration students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn an average of $55,985 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration from Arizona State University - Tempe

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$42,316 Median Starting Salary

University of Arizona is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 public administration students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program report average early career wages of $42,316.

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

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
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
163 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
17.2% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas at Arlington is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public administration. UT Arlington is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Arlington. A Best Colleges rank of #304 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Arlington is a great university overall.

There were about 163 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UT Arlington in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration degree program at The University of Texas at Arlington make $5,488 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in public administration from The University of Texas at Arlington

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
238 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

Grand Canyon University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in public administration. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit university located in the city of Phoenix. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were about 238 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from Grand Canyon University make $3,556 more than the standard public admin graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration from Grand Canyon University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
204 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
3.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #83 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UOPX - Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 204 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UOPX - Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make around $59,173 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Phoenix - Arizona

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$36,328 Median Starting Salary

UT Dallas is a fairly large public university located in the city of Richardson. A Best Colleges rank of #209 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Dallas is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UT Dallas in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, public admin degree recipients usually make about $36,328 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in public administration from The University of Texas at Dallas

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$58,736 Median Starting Salary

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 public administration students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career income of $58,736.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

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
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In AZ
30.0% Growth in Graduates

NAU is a very large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public administration from Northern Arizona University

9
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$54,880 Median Starting Salary

Texas State is a very large public university located in the small city of San Marcos. This university ranks 16th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 69 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career income of $54,880.

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

10
Tarleton crest
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In TX

Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 48th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 23 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Tarleton in the most recent data year.

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

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 887
Arizona 287 620
Oklahoma 257 77
New Mexico 219 55

View All Rankings >

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

Public Admin Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 1,795
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies 16

View All Public Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 1,252
Community Organization & Advocacy 865
Public Policy 556
Other Public Administration 11

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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