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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
426 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master's in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 457 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 426 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 11 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Illinois”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree public admin students.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Illinois

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 63 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at UIS

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 91 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students list, UIC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at UIC

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora are $13,200.

Read full report on Public Administration at Aurora

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 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 #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

Full Northern Illinois University Public Administration Report

#6

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GSU are $14,674.

Read more about Public Administration at Governors State University

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 42 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760.

Full DePaul University Public Administration Report

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at SIUC

#9

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree public admin students list, NLU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at National Louis University are $12,096, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at NLU

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt University are $21,605, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Roosevelt

#11

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 85 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at Northwestern

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.

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