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2024 Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois

9 Colleges in Illinois
395 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$51,622 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public administration, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #60 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Administration Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 395 degrees in public administration during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

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

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Public Administration Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Admin
Master's Degrees in Public Admin
Doctor's Degrees in Public Admin

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 Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration in Illinois

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 admin degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Public Admin

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in public administration. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 90 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from Northwestern University earn $14,389 more than the typical public admin student.

More information about a degree in public administration from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$48,642 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Springfield if you want to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, UIS is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 55th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 68 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UIS in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn about $48,642 for their early career.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$52,003 Median Starting Salary
$41,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of Illinois at Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 27 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, public admin degree recipients typically earn about $52,003 in their early careers.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$53,383 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat DePaul University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 public administration students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, public admin degree recipients typically earn about $53,383 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in public administration from DePaul University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$40,957 Median Starting Salary
$33,859 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 23 public administration students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year. After graduating, public admin degree recipients typically earn around $40,957 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in public administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #354 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were roughly 20 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public administration from Aurora University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,600 Median Starting Salary

NIU is a large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 24th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 33 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration degree recipients from Northern Illinois University receive an earnings boost of about $7,978 above the average earnings of public administration majors.

More information about a degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University

8
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL
38 Public Admin Degrees Awarded

GSU is a small public university located in the rural area of University Park. This university ranks 66th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 38 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public administration from Governors State University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #393 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 15 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public administration from National Louis University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$40,759 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 9 public administration students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program make around $40,759 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Best Public Administration Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan322380
Ohio314438
Indiana2941,185
Wisconsin27391

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Public Administration & Social Service area of study, Public Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Admin Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Administration395

View All Public Admin Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Policy495
Human Services131
Community Organization & Advocacy119
Other Public Administration61

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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