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2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service

601 Colleges in the United States
49,910 Master's Degrees
$46,659 Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Administration & Social Service is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #5 most popular master's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 601 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the most popular for public administration and social service students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 49,910 master's degrees in public administration and social service during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

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

Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service Your choice of school for getting your master's degree in public administration and social service matters. We created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality public administration and social service program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration & Social Service Schools

Associate Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Bachelor's Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Doctor's Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Overall Popularity in Public Administration & Social Service

This ranking is just one of the many we have created. First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above. Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location. Plus, you can view our other rankings for public administration and social service.


 

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration and social service. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Public Administration & Social Service Students Working on Their Master's

1
1,490 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#1 Best Quality In CA

University of Southern California is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration and social service. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in California.

There were approximately 1,490 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Southern California

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Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN
1,140 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MN
#11 Best Quality In MN

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Walden University if you want to pursue a master's degree in public administration and social service. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.

There were roughly 1,140 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at Walden University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Walden University

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1,050 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NY
#4 Best Quality In NY

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Fordham University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration and social service. Located in the large city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in New York.

There were approximately 1,050 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at Fordham U in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Fordham University

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960 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In NY
#1 Best Quality In NY

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration and social service. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in New York.

There were approximately 960 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Columbia University in the City of New York

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NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
830 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In NY
#3 Best Quality In NY

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in New York.

There were about 830 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from New York University

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733 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In TX
#3 Best Quality In TX

Located in the city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Texas.

There were roughly 733 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at UT Arlington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from The University of Texas at Arlington

7
697 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NJ
#2 Best Quality In NJ

Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public university located in the city of New Brunswick. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in New Jersey.

There were about 697 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

8
576 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MA
#4 Best Quality In MA

Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Massachusetts.

There were roughly 576 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Simmons in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Simmons University

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Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, NY
544 Annual Master's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In NY
#8 Best Quality In NY

Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public college with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #8 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in New York.

There were about 544 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Hunter in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Hunter College

10
536 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Illinois.

There were approximately 536 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Chicago

11
522 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Michigan.

There were roughly 522 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

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Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
515 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In MA
#1 Best Quality In MA

Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Massachusetts.

There were roughly 515 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Harvard University

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Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
474 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#5 Best Quality In IL

Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Illinois.

There were about 474 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Aurora University

14
469 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#2 Best Quality In IN

Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Indiana.

There were about 469 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

15
468 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WA
#1 Best Quality In WA

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Washington.

There were about 468 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

15
468 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MD
#1 Best Quality In MD

Located in the city of Baltimore, UMB is a public university with a medium-sized student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Maryland.

There were roughly 468 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at UMB in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Maryland - Baltimore

17
451 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Ohio.

There were about 451 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Ohio State University - Main Campus

18
428 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CO
#1 Best Quality In CO

Located in the city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Colorado.

There were roughly 428 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Denver

19
410 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#10 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a very large student population.

There were roughly 410 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from California State University - Northridge

20
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
364 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In MA
#2 Best Quality In MA

Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Massachusetts.

There were approximately 364 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Boston University

21
358 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In TX
#11 Best Quality In TX

OLLU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Antonio.

There were approximately 358 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at OLLU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Our Lady of the Lake University

22
355 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#8 Best Quality In CA

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in California.

There were roughly 355 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from California State University - Long Beach

23
343 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In AZ
#1 Best Quality In AZ

Located in the large city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Arizona.

There were approximately 343 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Arizona State University - Skysong

24
341 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In IL
#7 Best Quality In IL

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Illinois.

There were approximately 341 public administration and social service individuals who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Illinois at Chicago

25
338 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In LA
#2 Best Quality In LA

Located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in public administration and social service in Louisiana.

There were roughly 338 public administration and social service students who graduated with this degree at Louisiana State University in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

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30
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
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39
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
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SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
43
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
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U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
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Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 601 different United States public administration and social service schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
51 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
52 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
53 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
54 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
54 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
56 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
57 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
57 American University Washington, DC
57 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
60 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
60 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
62 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
63 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
63 Purdue University Global Indianapolis, IN
65 Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY
66 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
66 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
68 University at Albany Albany, NY
69 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
69 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
71 Baruch College New York, NY
72 Troy University Troy, AL
73 Yeshiva University New York, NY
73 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
75 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
76 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
77 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA
78 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
78 Georgetown University Washington, DC
80 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
81 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
81 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
83 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
83 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
85 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
86 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
87 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
88 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
88 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
90 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration & Social Service students that almost earned our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service award.

Rank College Location
91 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
92 George Washington University Washington, DC
93 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
93 LIU Post Brookville, NY
93 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
96 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
97 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
98 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
99 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
100 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
101 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
102 North Carolina Central University Durham, NC
103 Western New Mexico University Silver City, NM
103 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
105 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
106 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
107 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
108 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
109 Salem State University Salem, MA
110 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL
110 Touro College New York, NY
110 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
110 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
114 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
115 Smith College Northampton, MA
116 Springfield College Springfield, MA
116 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
116 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
116 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
116 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
116 Anna Maria College Paxton, MA

Public Administration & Social Service by Region

View the Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 32,385
Public Administration 12,512
Public Policy 3,160
Human Services 1,095
Community Organization & Advocacy 537
Other Public Administration 221

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 10,925
Legal Professions 10,164
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 9,155
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 972

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
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Degree Guides by Major
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