2025 Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest 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.
College Factual reviewed 6 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public policy. Combined, these schools handed out 293 master's degrees in public policy to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Policy School for Your Master's Degree
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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
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 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
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to public policy students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other public policy students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt public policy students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- 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.
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
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 Policy Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.
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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.
MBA in Public Administration
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 Southwest Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for public policy students seeking a a master's degree.
Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Public Policy
It's hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public policy. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the public policy major at The University of Texas at Austin get $14,142 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in public policy from The University of Texas at Austin
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in public policy needs to check out Arizona State University - Tempe. ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
After graduating, public policy master's recipients usually earn about $52,436 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in public policy from Arizona State University - Tempe
The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public policy. Located in the medium-sized city of Richardson, UT Dallas is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public policy from The University of Texas at Dallas
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public policy. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the public policy program make an average of $53,731 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public policy from University of Arizona