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

8 Ranked Colleges
216 Degrees Awarded
$22,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that 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 Southwest region, there were 536 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,050 and $23,421 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 216 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,078 and $37,227 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 117 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at UT Austin

#2

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 12 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UH also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UH Public Policy Report

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743.

Full Texas A&M College Station Public Policy Report

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #4 spot on the list. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Dallas has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Dallas are $28,610, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UT Dallas Public Policy Report

#5

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Arizona are $33,399.

Full University of Arizona Public Policy Report

#8 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Arlington has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Arlington are $23,376.

Read full report on Public Policy at UT Arlington

#3 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

#7 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Skysong are $6,724, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at Arizona State University - Skysong

#8

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNM are $19,890, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at UNM

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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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