2025 Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region
14
Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,167
Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458
Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Administration is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #60 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,167 degrees in public administration to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Public Administration School
Your choice of public administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Public Administration School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Public Administration Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Public Administration in the Plains States Region
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the public admin degree levels they offer.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Public Admin
Any student who is interested in public administration needs to take a look at University of Missouri - Columbia. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were about 111 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration degree recipients from University of Missouri - Columbia receive an earnings boost of around $7,429 over the average income of public administration majors.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Missouri - Columbia
University of Kansas is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration. KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were about 68 public administration students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program report average early career earnings of $58,188.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Kansas
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 UniversityRelated Programs
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In ND
University of North Dakota is a great option for students pursuing a degree in public administration. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #335 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UND is a great university overall.
There were approximately 15 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UND in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of North Dakota
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IA
Any student pursuing a degree in public administration needs to look into University of Iowa. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were about 8 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Iowa
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In MO
UMSL is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #632 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMSL is a great university overall.
There were about 21 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UMSL in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Missouri - St Louis
Located in the city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 19 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.
There were roughly 54 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UNOMAHA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public admin degree recipients typically make about $58,548 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in public administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha
St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Saint Cloud. This university ranks 33rd out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 16 public administration students who graduated with this degree at St. Cloud State University in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in public administration from Saint Cloud State University
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 UniversityRelated Programs
Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 28th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 48 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UIU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration program at Upper Iowa University make $4,975 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in public administration from Upper Iowa University
Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #575 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 38 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State 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 $42,399.
More information about a degree in public administration from Missouri State University - Springfield
Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 16th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 80 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from Park University make $2,683 more than the standard public admin graduate.
More information about a degree in public administration from Park University
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