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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region

99 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
15,530 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$38,225 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.

College Factual looked at 99 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 15,530 degrees in public administration & social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

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

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
586 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$55,702 Median Starting Salary

University of Chicago is a good option for students pursuing a degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 586 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at University of Chicago make $17,477 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
229 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$71,872 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the 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 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 229 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Northwestern University get an earnings boost of approximately $33,647 above the typical earnings of public administration & social service majors.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
674 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 674 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn a boost of approximately $10,449 over the average income of public administration & social service graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
787 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$42,753 Median Starting Salary

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were about 787 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Indiana University - Bloomington make $4,528 more than the average public administration & social service student.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Bloomington

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
231 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$40,501 Median Starting Salary

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 231 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive $2,276 more than the typical public administration & social service grad.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
304 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$41,622 Median Starting Salary

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 304 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn $3,397 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
733 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
0.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 733 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career wages of $39,648.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
331 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$42,843 Median Starting Salary

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 331 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 $4,618 more than the typical public administration & social service graduate.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$44,289 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were roughly 202 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Case Western Reserve University make $6,064 more than the standard public administration & social service student.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
888 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

IUPUI is a fairly large public university located in the city of Indianapolis. This university ranks 7th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 888 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis receive an earnings boost of around $13,301 over the average income of public administration & social service graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

11
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
742 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora. This university ranks 15th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 742 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients generally earn about $37,201 in the first five years of their career.

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

12
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$37,242 Median Starting Salary

UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public university located in the city of Eau Claire. This university ranks 5th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 108 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UW - Eau Claire 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 $37,242.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
333 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$48,269 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 333 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at University of Illinois at Chicago get $10,044 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
369 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
13.0% Growth in Graduates

IWU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion. This university ranks 8th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 369 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients typically make an average of $31,691 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

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 Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
15 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
16 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
17 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
18 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
19 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
20 Illinois State University Normal, IL
21 Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, IN
22 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
23 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
24 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration & social service schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 3,145
Michigan 38 3,343
Ohio 38 3,018
Illinois 38 3,796
Wisconsin 37 1,297

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 2,575
Human Services 982
Public Policy 946
Community Organization & Advocacy 566
Other Public Administration 53

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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