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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

11 Ranked Colleges
396 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. 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 Southeast region, there were 1,261 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,533 and $29,669 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 396 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,950 and $43,286 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke University are $59,140, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Duke University Public Policy Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #2 spot on the list. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Vanderbilt also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at Vanderbilt University

#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #3 spot on the list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full William & Mary Public Policy Report

#4

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 75 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia are $32,394, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia

#5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #5 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also took the #0 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.

Read more about Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill

#6

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Marshall University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Marshall University is a fairly large public school situated in Huntington, West Virginia. It awarded 3 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Marshall University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Marshall University are $21,162, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at Marshall University

#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

With a ranking of #7, George Mason University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

GMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GMU Public Policy Report

#8

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#9 in overall quality

American Public University System came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. American Military University is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

American Military University also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at American Public University System are $7,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at American Military University

#9

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#6 in overall quality

University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Lexington, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UK has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UK are $33,216, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UK Public Policy Report

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Knoxville are $31,798.

Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#11

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 92 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Liberty University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Liberty University

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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.

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