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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 $48-$75k” 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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 67 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #2 spot on the list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 25 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

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 University are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at Vanderbilt University

#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800.

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 $48-$75k. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill

#6

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at George Mason University

#7

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Marshall University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Marshall University is a fairly large school located in Huntington, West Virginia that handed out 3 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marshall University, the school also landed the #10 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 Marshall University are $21,162.

Full Marshall University 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 $48-$75k ranking. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, this large private for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at American Military University, the school also landed the #9 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 American Public University System are $7,050.

Read more about Public Policy at American Public University System

#9

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#6 in overall quality

University of Kentucky landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Kentucky is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 8 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UK also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at UK are $33,216, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at UK

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville are $31,798, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at UT Knoxville

#11

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #11, Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 92 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Liberty University Public Policy Report

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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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