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2024 Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region

10 Colleges in the Southwest Region
556 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$39,714 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public policy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #113 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for public policy students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 556 degrees in public policy to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Policy School

Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of public policy 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 policy 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 Policy Degree Level

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

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 Policy Schools in the Southwest 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Policy in the Southwest 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 policy degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Public Policy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
15.4% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in public policy. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 136 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public policy major at The University of Texas at Austin get $19,653 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$37,079 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 82 public policy students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public policy program make around $37,079 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public policy from Arizona State University - Tempe

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$41,618 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in public policy. UT Dallas is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richardson. This university ranks 11th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 48 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UT Dallas in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,618.

More information about a degree in public policy from The University of Texas at Dallas

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$26,063 Median Starting Salary

Southern Methodist University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in public policy. SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 public policy students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients generally make around $26,063 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in public policy from Southern Methodist University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
106 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
7.5% Growth in Graduates

ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale. This university ranks 8th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 106 public policy students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public policy program earn an average of $37,079 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public policy from Arizona State University - Skysong

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In TX
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were about 17 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from Texas A&M University - College Station

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AZ
46.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the large city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 public policy students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Arizona

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OK

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Norman. This university ranks 1st out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 24 public policy students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX

UH is a fairly large public university located in the city of Houston. This university ranks 10th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 19 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Houston

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NM

Located in the large city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 23 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were approximately 3 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UNM in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Best Public Policy Colleges by State

Explore the best public policy schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas317295
Arizona287227
Oklahoma25728
New Mexico2197

View All Rankings >

Public Policy is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Policy Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis450
International Policy Analysis89
Education Policy Analysis13
Other Public Policy Analysis3
Health Policy Analysis1

View All Public Policy Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Administration1,811
Human Services1,252
Community Organization & Advocacy865
Other Public Administration11

View All Public Policy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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