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

8 Ranked Colleges
338 Degrees Awarded
$25,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master's in Virginia

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking.

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

Across Virginia, there were 515 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 338 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Virginia”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

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

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 37 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree public admin students list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Tech are $30,547, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Virginia Tech

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

JMU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at JMU are $29,544.

Read full report on Public Administration at JMU

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at George Mason University

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

Read full report on Public Administration at Liberty University

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 25 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at VCU are $29,228.

Read full report on Public Administration at VCU

#6

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Old Dominion University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Old Dominion also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Old Dominion are $33,288, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at Old Dominion

#7

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Regent University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. Regent is a private not-for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Regent University are $17,052, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Regent

#8

Strayer University - Virginia

Arlington, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Strayer University - Virginia landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia ranking. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Strayer University - Virginia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - Virginia are $15,135.

Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - Virginia

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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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