2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in the Great Lakes Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 47th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,650 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,453 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 40 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools
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 Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree public admin students.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #1 spot on the list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Public Administration Report
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 33 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GVSU are $17,448.
Read full report on Public Administration at Grand Valley State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 93 students in 2019-2020.
Central Michigan also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Central Michigan are $19,359.
Read full report on Public Administration at Central Michigan University
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Global landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University Global are $10,674, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration at Purdue University Global
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public admin students list, Aurora has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora University
With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.
Read full report on Public Administration at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 32 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Dayton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Dayton, Ohio 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 16 students in 2019-2020.
UDayton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UDayton are $17,780.
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
IU Northwest also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Northwest are $18,275, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full Indiana University - Northwest Public Administration Report
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 174 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public admin students list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338.
Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University - Bloomington
With a ranking of #11, Purdue University Fort Wayne did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. PFW is a medium-sized school located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that handed out 8 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University Fort Wayne are $14,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration at Purdue University Fort Wayne
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.
IUPUI also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis are $26,013.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 91 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
UIC also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 20 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Oshkosh did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW Oshkosh are $18,744, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Public Administration Report
Indiana State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this fairly large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana State are $15,346, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana State University
Indiana University - South Bend landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - South Bend is a small school located in South Bend, Indiana that handed out 7 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Indiana University - South Bend did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - South Bend are $18,275, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Administration at Indiana University - South Bend
With a ranking of #17, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 11 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Akron Main Campus are $15,217, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Akron Main Campus
University of Michigan - Flint landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UM Flint is a medium-sized public school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 47 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
UM Flint also took the #22 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Flint are $18,202, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Michigan - Flint
Oakland University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 31 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Oakland University are $24,648.
Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at OHIO Athens are $17,712, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
Cleveland State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cleveland State University are $17,622, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration at Cleveland State University
Northern Michigan University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school situated in Marquette, Michigan. It awarded 7 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Michigan University are $13,660, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration at Northern Michigan University
Franklin University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public admin students list, Franklin University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Franklin University are $16,080, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration at Franklin University
DePaul University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 42 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public admin students list, DePaul has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at BGSU are $15,823, but some majors have different tuition rates.
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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.
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