by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,964 master's degrees in public administration & social service during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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:
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 take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
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 colleges for public administration & social service students working on their master's degree.
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 Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration & social service.
It is hard to beat University of Kansas if you want to pursue a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Kansas
University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Iowa
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in public administration & social service needs to look into University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Missouri - Columbia
Saint Louis University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Saint Louis University
Augsburg is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Augsburg University
UND is a fairly large public university located in the city of Grand Forks.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of North Dakota
St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from St Catherine University
UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Northern Iowa
UNOMAHA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Omaha.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Nebraska at Omaha
St. Scholastica is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Duluth.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from The College of Saint Scholastica
Explore the best public administration & social service schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 32 | 854 |
| Minnesota | 31 | 2,199 |
| Kansas | 30 | 401 |
| Iowa | 29 | 254 |
| Nebraska | 29 | 191 |
| North Dakota | 28 | 88 |
| South Dakota | 25 | 50 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 710 |
| Human Services | 211 |
| Public Policy | 98 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 87 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 678 |
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