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2023 Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools

92 Colleges in the United States
3,076 Bachelor's Degrees
$44,563 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in public administration, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #103 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 92 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of public administration. Combined, these schools handed out 3,076 bachelor's degrees in public administration to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools The public admin bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public administration students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Admin Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools 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. 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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Public Administration in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in public administration. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

13 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Public Admin

1
589 Annual Graduates
$44,780 Median Starting Salary
$21,205 Median Student Debt

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, public admin bachelor's recipients generally make around $44,780 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Indiana University - Bloomington

2
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
79 Annual Graduates
$48,017 Median Starting Salary
$24,500 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Syracuse University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the public administration major at Syracuse University earn $3,454 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Syracuse University

3
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
10 Annual Graduates

Seattle University is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Seattle University

4
93 Annual Graduates
$34,336 Median Starting Salary
$23,465 Median Student Debt

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, public admin bachelor's recipients usually earn around $34,336 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
2 Annual Graduates

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Villanova University

6
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
59 Annual Graduates
$35,948 Median Starting Salary
$22,867 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, public admin bachelor's recipients typically make around $35,948 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from James Madison University

7
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from University of Kansas

8
122 Annual Graduates
$44,177 Median Starting Salary
$27,747 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn around $44,177 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Florida International University

9
106 Annual Graduates
$34,977 Median Starting Salary
$15,375 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the public admin program report average early career wages of $34,977.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from San Diego State University

10
9 Annual Graduates

UND is a large public university located in the city of Grand Forks.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from University of North Dakota

11
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Winona State University

12
2 Annual Graduates

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

13
63 Annual Graduates
$71,434 Median Starting Salary
$26,433 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Miami, Barry University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Those public administration students who get their bachelor's degree from Barry University receive $26,871 more than the average public admin grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from Barry University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
14 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
15 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
16 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
17 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
18 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
19 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
20 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
21 Auburn University Auburn, AL
22 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
23 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX

Public Administration by Region

View the Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Public Administration is one of 5 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Admin Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 3,076

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 22,221
Human Services 6,292
Public Policy 2,603
Community Organization & Advocacy 1,884
Other Public Administration 157

Notes and References

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