by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Administration is the 49th most popular major in the country with 16,897 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 377 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking analyzed 48 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their public administration program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Walden University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school handed out 138 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 48 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Jackson State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Jackson State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Jackson, Mississippi. It awarded 14 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at Jackson State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Illinois at Springfield
Out of the 48 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Baltimore landed the #4 spot on the list. UB is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Baltimore
Out of the 48 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Valdosta State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Valdosta, Georgia, this fairly large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a fairly large public school situated in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It awarded 22 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Administration at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #7, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Hamline University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Hamline University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 3 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of La Verne did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #9. ULV is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Verne, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Nebraska at Omaha Public Administration Report
Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #11. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at Tennessee State University
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at The University of Texas at Arlington
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #13. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 9 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
American University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. The American University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at American University
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. CU Anschutz is a large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 6 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Capella University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
Western Michigan University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Western Michigan University is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
University at Albany ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Albany, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Florida State University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Administration at Florida State University
Old Dominion University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Auburn University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Auburn is located in Auburn, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Kentucky came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Kentucky
With a ranking of #24, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public admin degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
