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2024 Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region

43 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
2,575 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$48,400 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 43 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,575 degrees in public administration to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes Region Schools in Public Admin

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$66,011 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public administration. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from Northwestern University receive $17,611 more than the typical public admin student.

More information about a degree in public administration from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
757 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$48,474 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Indiana University - Bloomington if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were roughly 757 public administration students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program earn about $48,474 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public administration from Indiana University - Bloomington

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IN
43.3% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. IWU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion. A Best Colleges rank of #291 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 public administration students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration needs to take a look at Ohio State University - Main Campus. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 185 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn about $41,546 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public administration from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

IUPUI is a very large public university located in the city of Indianapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #274 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.

There were about 190 public administration students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration degree recipients from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis receive an earnings boost of about $11,650 over the average income of public administration majors.

More information about a degree in public administration from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

6
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$53,173 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 95 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration program at Central Michigan University make $4,773 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from Central Michigan University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$48,642 Median Starting Salary

UIS is a small public university located in the midsize city of Springfield. This university ranks 55th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 71 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UIS 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 $48,642.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Illinois at Springfield

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$52,003 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 55 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from University of Illinois at Chicago receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,603 over the typical earnings of public administration graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Illinois at Chicago

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$41,649 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 96 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make around $41,649 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public administration from Grand Valley State University

10
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$52,277 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 24 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from Oakland University earn a boost of around $3,877 over the average income of public administration graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration from Oakland University

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 380
Ohio 314 438
Illinois 304 429
Indiana 294 1,185
Wisconsin 273 91

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 2,575

View All Public Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 982
Public Policy 946
Community Organization & Advocacy 566
Other Public Administration 53

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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