2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 51 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 29 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,560 and $37,817 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

Brigham Young University - Provo

Provo, Utah

$7,510 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 6 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brigham Young University - Provo are $7,510, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at BYU

#2

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

#2 in overall quality

$24,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$53,358 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. U of U is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 15 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of U, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U of U are $24,695.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Utah

#3

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$52,899 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$62,260 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Denver. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 8 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

DU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Denver are $52,899, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at DU

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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