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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in California

15 Ranked Colleges
471 Degrees Awarded
$52,627 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking.

In 2021-2022, 6,484 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In , public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $32,327 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 853 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,313 and $45,815 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 471 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. That schools that top this list have a program in public policy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree public policy students.

Top 15 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in California

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2
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Lutheran University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Lutheran University Public Policy Report

3
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California. Located in Malibu, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Pepperdine University

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 111 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 97 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Public Policy at USC

6

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 64 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Public Policy Report

7

University of California - San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 49 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UCSD

8
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #8, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Policy at Stanford University

9

University of California - Riverside ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside

10

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

11

University of California - Irvine came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 25 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Policy at UC Irvine

12

University of California - San Francisco came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. UCSF is a small public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Public Policy at UCSF

13
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 3 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Pacific

14
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 2 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Claremont Graduate University

14

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Hastings College of Law did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UC Hastings

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