Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California

25 Ranked Colleges
1,497 Degrees Awarded
$20,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master's in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 47th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,888 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,497 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

The public admin school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in California

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 226 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955.

Read full report on Public Administration at CSUN

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 125 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at CSULB

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 20 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Fresno

#4

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Baptist University landed the #4 spot on the list. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Baptist University are $14,140, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at California Baptist University

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree public admin students list, SDSU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full San Diego State University Public Administration Report

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 75 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUDH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUDH are $17,884, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full CSUDH Public Administration Report

#11 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Fullerton

#8

Golden Gate University - San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Golden Gate University - San Francisco did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 37 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Golden Gate University - San Francisco did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Golden Gate University - San Francisco are $19,705, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Golden Gate University - San Francisco

#16 in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Bakersfield are $18,437, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at CSUB

#10

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#19 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 84 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree public admin students list, CSUSB has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - San Bernardino are $17,936.

Read full report on Public Administration at CSUSB

#11

Brandman University

Irvine, California
#12 in overall quality

Brandman University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. Brandman is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 41 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandman also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brandman are $12,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at Brandman University

#17 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 84 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State East Bay are $17,828, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - East Bay

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#15 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #13. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full San Francisco State University Public Administration Report

#15

National University

La Jolla, California
#9 in overall quality

National University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

National University also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at National University are $15,480.

Read more about Public Administration at National University

#16

University of La Verne

La Verne, California
#14 in overall quality

University of La Verne landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 26 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree public admin students list, ULV has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at ULV are $14,526, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of La Verne Public Administration Report

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#18 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 28 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at San Jose State University

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 19 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Sacramento

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 19 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stan State are $18,540, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Stan State

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 24 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Public Administration Report

#21

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#2 in overall quality

University of San Francisco ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 62 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USFCA are $26,710, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of San Francisco Public Administration Report

#22

Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, California
#23 in overall quality

Notre Dame de Namur University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This small school is located in Belmont, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

NDNU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Notre Dame de Namur University are $17,884.

Read more about Public Administration at Notre Dame de Namur University

#25 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 12 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree public admin students list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal Poly Pomona are $18,377, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at Cal Poly Pomona

#7 in overall quality

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. Middlebury Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Middlebury Institute also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey are $42,804.

Read more about Public Administration at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 175 students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at USC

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Featured Public Administration Schools

Find Schools Near You