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2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Iowa

7 Colleges in Iowa
932 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$47,851 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public administration & social service, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #14 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in Iowa to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 932 degrees in public administration & social service annually.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Iowa Your choice of public administration & social service school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Public Administration & Social Service School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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 Iowa list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration & Social Service in Iowa

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public administration & social service degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Iowa Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
197 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Iowa is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 197 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Iowa 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 $46,867.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Northern Iowa is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in public administration & social service. UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn about $44,567 in their early career salary.

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

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Masters Degree Type
MBA in Public Administration Program Name

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

Related Programs

3
Loras crest
Loras College
Dubuque, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In IA
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Loras College is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in public administration & social service. Loras is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Dubuque. This college ranks 29th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 21 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Loras in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Loras College

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$45,758 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in public administration & social service needs to check out Upper Iowa University. UIU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the remote area of Fayette. This university ranks 28th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 118 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIU 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 $45,758.

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

5
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,372 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Decorah, Luther is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 9th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 15 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Luther 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 $30,372.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Luther College

6
Briar Cliff crest
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$42,935 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 16 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Briar Cliff in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn an average of $42,935 in their early career salary.

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

7

DMACC is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Ankeny. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 26 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at DMACC 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 $26,312.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Des Moines Area Community College

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 731
Minnesota 38 3,541
South Dakota 38 126
Missouri 38 1,563
Nebraska 36 471
North Dakota 35 318

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 192
Public Administration 114
Community Organization & Advocacy 40
Public Policy 16

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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