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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

64 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
7,364 Master's Degrees
$47,218 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your master's degree in public administration & social service, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #5 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 64 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 7,364 master's degrees in public administration & social service to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School for Your Master's Degree

Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The public administration & social service master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality public administration & social service program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public administration & social service students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The public administration & social service 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 the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration & Social Service in the Great Lakes Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration & social service.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
425 Annual Graduates

University of Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Chicago

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
552 Annual Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
438 Annual Graduates

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Annual Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
261 Annual Graduates

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Loyola University Chicago

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Bloomington

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
197 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Case Western Reserve University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
551 Annual Graduates

IUPUI is a very large public university located in the city of Indianapolis.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Aurora University Aurora, IL
12 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
13 Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN
14 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
15 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
16 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration & social service colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 34 2,499
Indiana 33 1,296
Ohio 32 1,320
Michigan 31 1,728
Wisconsin 31 521

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Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 1,426
Public Policy 487
Human Services 258
Community Organization & Advocacy 143
Other Public Administration 18

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 1,704

Notes and References

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