by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Master’s 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 12,282 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking analyzed 369 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.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Calumet College of Saint Joseph. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. CCSJ is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Whiting, Indiana. It awarded 39 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Anna Maria College landed the #2 spot on the list. Paxton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 99 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Evergreen State College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. Olympia, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Barry University landed the #4 spot on the list. Barry University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Strayer University - Arkansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Strayer University - Arkansas is located in Little Rock, Arkansas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - Arkansas
With a ranking of #6, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is a small school located in Monterey, California that handed out 17 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Middlebury Institute
Alfred University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Alfred, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
University of Baltimore landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 64 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Hilbert College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Hilbert College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hamburg, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Alaska Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Juneau, Alaska, this small public school awarded 29 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #11. John Jay is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 214 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Marist College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #12. Marist College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Poughkeepsie, New York. It awarded 83 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Illinois at Springfield landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 48 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Strayer University - North Carolina did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Strayer University - North Carolina is located in Morrisville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - North Carolina
University of Guam landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Mangilao, , this small public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Clark University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Public Administration at Clark University
Virginia International University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #17. Virginia International University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 2 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at Virginia International University
Notre Dame de Namur University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. NDNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Belmont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern University and A & M College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized school is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and it awarded 47 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at Southern University and A & M College
Randall University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Randall University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moore, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
American University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Washington, District of Columbia 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 166 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Public Administration at American University
North Carolina Central University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this medium-sized public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at North Carolina Central University
Rutgers University - Newark did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #23. Newark, New Jersey is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 138 students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Reinhardt University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Reinhardt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waleska, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a small private for-profit school situated in Trevose, Pennsylvania. It awarded 10 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Public Administration at Strayer University - Pennsylvania
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 52 | University of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC |
| 53 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 54 | The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX |
| 55 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
| 56 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
