College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region

86 Colleges in the Southeast Region
3,800 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$46,779 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.

College Factual looked at 86 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,800 degrees in public administration to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration School

Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 the Southeast 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 admin 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.

12 Top Southeast Region Schools in Public Admin

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,370 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a good option for students interested in a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 44 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration major at Virginia Tech get $12,591 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Tech

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
9.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration has to look into George Mason University. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 130 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration degree program at George Mason University make $6,139 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in public administration from George Mason University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
1.5% Growth in Graduates

Florida International University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in public administration. FIU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Miami. A Best Colleges rank of #183 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 266 public administration students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from Florida International University earn a boost of approximately $4,496 above the typical income of public administration graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration from Florida International University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$69,048 Median Starting Salary

Clemson University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in public administration. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #107 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration degree recipients from Clemson University receive an earnings boost of around $22,269 over the average earnings of public administration graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration from Clemson University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 82 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public admin degree recipients usually earn around $47,593 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Georgia

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

Auburn is a fairly large public university located in the city of Auburn. A Best Colleges rank of #154 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Auburn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 76 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public admin program make an average of $35,723 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public administration from Auburn University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $10,226 more than the typical public admin graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
19.6% Growth in Graduates

NC State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 51 public administration students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration major at North Carolina State University make $5,831 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration from North Carolina State University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
16.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #114 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia Southern University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 154 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Columbia Southern University in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from Columbia Southern University get an earnings boost of about $10,521 over the typical earnings of public administration graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration from Columbia Southern University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$40,012 Median Starting Salary

UCF is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Orlando. A Best Colleges rank of #193 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 203 public administration students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career income of $40,012.

More information about a degree in public administration from University of Central Florida

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year. Public Administration degree recipients from Florida State University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,266 above the average income of public administration graduates.

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

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Public Admin Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

WCU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Cullowhee. This university ranks 17th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 98 public administration students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration students who get their degree from Western Carolina University make $2,117 more than the average public admin student.

More information about a degree in public administration from Western Carolina University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Public Administration Schools in the Southeast Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
13Barry UniversityMiami, FL
14James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
15Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA
16Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL
17Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
18University of KentuckyLexington, KY
19University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL
20Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
21Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia287399
Florida282926
North Carolina279436
Virginia274523
Tennessee26981
South Carolina24883
Kentucky244118
Louisiana242121
Mississippi23480
Arkansas234179
Alabama233358
West Virginia207132

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 Administration3,794
Public Administration (Other)4
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies2

View All Public Admin Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Human Services2,614
Public Policy1,271
Community Organization & Advocacy197
Other Public Administration126

View All Public Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options