2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Region
121Colleges in the Southeast Region
20,557Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$47,851Avg 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 looked at 121 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 20,557 degrees in public administration & social service to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School
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
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 Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Best Schools for Public Administration & Social Service in the Southeast Region
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. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
24 Top Southeast Region Schools in Public Administration & Social Service
Every student who is interested in public administration & social service has to look into Duke University. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were about 288 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of around $22,170 over the average income of public administration & social service graduates.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were approximately 378 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $5,224 more than the typical public administration & social service grad.
Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
Virginia Tech is a good decision for students interested in a degree in public administration & social service. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were approximately 60 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service major at Virginia Tech get $26,270 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
It's hard to beat University of Kentucky if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were approximately 672 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn an average of $47,430 in their early career salary.
Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 373 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at George Mason University earn $19,295 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
VCU is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond. This university ranks 8th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 389 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients generally earn an average of $47,896 in the first five years of their career.
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville. This university ranks 2nd out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 458 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. After graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients generally earn about $45,362 at the beginning of their careers.
Improve the lives of individuals, families and communities with the human service tools gained from this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were about 75 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Vanderbilt University make $9,829 more than the typical public administration & social service graduate.
UGA is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 316 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make about $47,768 in the first couple years of working.
Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 13th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 351 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Florida International University earn a boost of about $2,996 above the average income of public administration & social service majors.
Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rasmussen University - Florida is a great university overall.
There were approximately 111 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Florida in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,576.
BS in Business Administration - Public AdministrationProgram Name
Prepare yourself to make the decisions that best serve a community, its constituents and its economic growth with this specialized business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.
There were about 123 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career earnings of $39,533.
Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 618 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn about $45,508 for their early career.
Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 212 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UofSC 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 $42,028.
Located in the small city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 313 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at FAU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career earnings of $44,711.
UofL is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Louisville. This university ranks 2nd out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were roughly 262 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients usually earn about $45,415 in the first five years of their career.
Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 179 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,328.
Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 603 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at Liberty University get $5,510 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 364 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career income of $44,957.
Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.
There were about 294 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, public administration & social service degree recipients typically make about $41,362 in the first five years of their career.
Lindsey Wilson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Columbia. This college ranks 10th out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were roughly 170 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Lindsey Wilson College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career wages of $29,318.
William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.
There were about 53 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career wages of $36,703.
Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 207 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients generally make about $45,175 in their early careers.
Located in the town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 39 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were about 132 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands 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 $32,938.
Rest of the Top Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Region
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 Schools in the Southeast Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
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.
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