2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Iowa

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 855 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,059 and $32,142 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 245 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,298 and $45,299 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration and social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration and social service programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Iowa

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 101 degrees to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Iowa

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

UNI also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UNI

#3

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$11,932 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Drake University landed the #3 spot on the list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 36 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa master’s degree public administration & social service students list, Drake has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drake are $11,932, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Drake

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$18,150 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Ambrose University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s in Iowa list. Saint Ambrose University is located in Davenport, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Ambrose University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at St. Ambrose University are $18,150, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Saint Ambrose University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to University of the Fraser Valley.

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