by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 11,807 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, we looked at 369 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree public admin students.
Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Calumet College of Saint Joseph landed the #1 spot on the list. Whiting, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 32 students in 2021-2022.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anna Maria College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Paxton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 90 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Evergreen State College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Evergreen is located in Olympia, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 48 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at The Evergreen State College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Barry University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. This medium-sized school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 123 masters’s public admin degrees 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%.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Middlebury Institute is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 27 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #7, Alfred University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Alfred is a private not-for-profit institution located in Alfred, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Baltimore ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 45 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Hilbert College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Hilbert College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamburg, New York. It awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Hilbert College
With a ranking of #10, University of Alaska Southeast did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. University of Alaska Southeast is a small school located in Juneau, Alaska that handed out 16 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Full University of Alaska Southeast Public Administration Report
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 176 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Marist College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Marist College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 61 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 54 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
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 full report on Public Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield
University of Guam came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. UOG is a small public school situated in Mangilao, Guam. It awarded 26 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Clark University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Clark is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 52 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Virginia International University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 0 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Public Administration at Virginia International University
Notre Dame de Namur University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. NDNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Belmont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern University and A & M College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Public Administration at Southern University and A & M College
Randall University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Randall University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moore, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
American University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #21. American University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 155 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 90%.
Read full report on Public Administration at American University
With a ranking of #22, North Carolina Central University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 58 masters’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Public Administration at North Carolina Central University
Rutgers University - Newark did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Newark, New Jersey, this fairly large public school awarded 128 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Rutgers University - Newark
Reinhardt University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Waleska, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Reinhardt University
Texas Southern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #25. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 49 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 52 | University of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC |
| 53 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 54 | The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX |
| 55 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
| 56 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
.jpg){kind=link}