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2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois

18 Colleges in Illinois
3,957 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$47,851 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public administration & social service is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #14 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 18 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of public administration & social service. Combined, these schools handed out 3,957 degrees in public administration & social service to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois Your choice of public administration & social service school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public administration & social service schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Public Administration & Social Service Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration & Social Service in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of public administration & social service degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
563 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$58,291 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 563 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of approximately $10,440 above the typical earnings of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Chicago

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$75,831 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service needs to look into Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 225 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $27,980 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Northwestern University

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Masters Degree Type
MBA in Public Administration Program Name

Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
360 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
8.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service needs to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 360 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Loyola University Chicago make $3,983 more than the average public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Loyola University Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
260 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
11.2% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 260 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career wages of $48,783.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
786 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were about 786 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make around $49,690 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Aurora University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$52,697 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 301 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Chicago make $4,847 more than the typical public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Chicago

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$43,640 Median Starting Salary

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 78 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn an average of $43,640 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Illinois State University

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Human Services Program Name

Improve the lives of individuals, families and communities with the human service tools gained from this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Human Services from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$39,641 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 42 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn an average of $39,641 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Western Illinois University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$40,505 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 59th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 159 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern Illinois University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career income of $40,505.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Northeastern Illinois University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

UIS is a small public university located in the city of Springfield. This university ranks 78th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 118 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIS in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Springfield earn $4,840 more than the typical public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Springfield

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 3,145
Michigan 38 3,343
Ohio 38 3,018
Wisconsin 37 1,297

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Public Policy 495
Public Administration 395
Human Services 131
Community Organization & Advocacy 119
Other Public Administration 61

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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