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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

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 Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 117 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #1 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 UT Austin are $22,886.

Read full report on Public Policy at UT Austin

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. UT Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 17 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Dallas are $28,610, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at UT Dallas

#3

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 #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

UH also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689.

Read more about Public Policy at UH

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Arlington. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 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 The University of Texas at Arlington are $23,376.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington 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 Getting Aid 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #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.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Arizona

#5 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also took 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 University - College Station are $22,743.

Full Texas A&M College Station Public Policy Report

#7

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#9 in overall quality

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNM is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 2 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of New Mexico - Main Campus are $19,890, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNM Public Policy Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 23 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Public Policy Report

#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Arizona State University - Skysong are $6,724, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

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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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