by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 36 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public policy students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,391 master's degrees in public policy to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of public policy for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality public policy program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public policy students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public policy.
It is hard to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public policy. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Public Policy master's degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of around $21,986 above the average earnings of public policy graduates.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Duke University
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public policy. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Students who graduate with their master's from the public policy program report average early career earnings of $64,952.
More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Southern California
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in public policy needs to look into University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in public policy from University of California - Berkeley
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in public policy has to take a look at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.
Those public policy students who get their master's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor make $12,138 more than the average public policy graduate.
More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton.
Those public policy students who get their master's degree from Princeton University make $21,972 more than the typical public policy grad.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Princeton University
GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
Master's recipients from the public policy major at George Mason University get $11,477 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in public policy from George Mason University
UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.
Master's recipients from the public policy program at University of Maryland - College Park earn $2,753 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Public Policy master's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of about $8,584 above the typical earnings of public policy majors.
More information about a master’s in public policy from The University of Texas at Austin
Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the public policy program make around $64,496 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Brandeis University
Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the public policy program state that they receive average early career income of $61,564.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Brown UniversityView the Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Public Policy is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Public Policy Analysis | 2,935 |
| Health Policy Analysis | 160 |
| International Policy Analysis | 104 |
| Education Policy Analysis | 99 |
| Other Public Policy Analysis | 93 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 11,984 |
| Human Services | 873 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 478 |
| Other Public Administration | 222 |
.jpg){kind=link}