2025 Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
If you plan on getting your master's degree in
public policy, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #55 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 7 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public policy. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 458 master's degrees in public policy during the 2021-2022 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
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 include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination 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 master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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.
- 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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public policy students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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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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Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Policy in the Southeast Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public policy.
Top Southeast Region Schools for a Master's in Public Policy
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in public policy has to check out Duke University. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.
Public Policy master's degree recipients from Duke University receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,626 above the typical income of public policy graduates.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Duke University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in public policy needs to look into George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.
Public Policy master's degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of approximately $4,117 above the average earnings of public policy graduates.
More information about a master’s in public policy from George Mason University
Vanderbilt University is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in public policy. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the public policy program make an average of $63,324 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Vanderbilt University
William & Mary is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in public policy. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.More information about a master’s in public policy from William & Mary
Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Kentucky
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