When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 16,043 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 60th most popular in the United States. In , public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $51,600 and had an average of $39,769 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 379 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, we looked at 48 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public administration.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree public admin students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Jackson State University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. Jackson State is located in Jackson, Mississippi and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Baltimore. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. UB is a small public school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 8 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 48 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Valdosta State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Valdosta, Georgia, this fairly large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a fairly large school located in West Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 31 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full West Chester University of Pennsylvania Public Administration Report
California Baptist University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hamline University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of La Verne landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. ULV is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Verne, California. It awarded 5 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Nebraska at Omaha ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Tennessee State University
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Virginia Commonwealth University Public Administration Report
American University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at The American University
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. CU Anschutz is a public institution located in Denver, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Michigan University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University at Albany ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. UAlbany is a fairly large school located in Albany, New York that handed out 7 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Florida State University
Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #20. Old Dominion is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Old Dominion University
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Administration at The University of Texas at Dallas
Auburn University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Auburn University is a large school located in Auburn, Alabama that handed out 3 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
With a ranking of #23, University of Kentucky did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 2 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Georgia ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Georgia
Read more about our data sources and methodologies