2024 Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
a master's degree in
public policy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #55 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for public policy students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 818 master's degrees in public policy during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Policy School for Your Master's Degree
The public policy master'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on public policy students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of public policy students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for public policy to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized public policy related body.
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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region.
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Featured Public Policy Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for public policy students seeking a a master's degree.
10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Public Policy
Princeton University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public policy. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Those public policy students who get their master's degree from Princeton University make $13,843 more than the typical public policy student.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Princeton University
It's difficult to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you want to pursue a master's degree in public policy. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Master's recipients from the public policy degree program at Carnegie Mellon University make $3,429 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University
George Washington University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in public policy. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the public policy major at George Washington University earn $9,889 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in public policy from George Washington University
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in public policy needs to take a look at University of Maryland - College Park. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the public policy program state that they receive average early career wages of $61,235.
More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Maryland - College Park
Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.
Those public policy students who get their master's degree from Georgetown University receive $9,458 more than the typical public policy student.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University
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