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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,304 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 872 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,401 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 30 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public administration programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree public admin students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Walden University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 152 masters’s public admin degrees 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s. University of Missouri - Columbia is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 93 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Missouri - Columbia
Out of the 30 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Missouri State University - Springfield Public Administration Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Capella University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 50 masters’s public admin degrees 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Park University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. Park University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Parkville, Missouri. It awarded 40 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Kansas landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. KU is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 35 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Hamline University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Hamline University is a small school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 34 masters’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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Hamline University
University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Drake University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Drake University is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 33 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Bellevue University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bellevue, Nebraska, and it awarded 30 masters’s public admin degrees 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Bellevue University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 28 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Wichita, Kansas, this fairly large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #14, University of South Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. USD is a medium-sized school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 20 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Upper Iowa University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Fayette, Iowa, and it awarded 19 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Missouri - St Louis
With a ranking of #17, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Saint Cloud State University is a fairly large school located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota that handed out 14 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Saint Cloud State University
Lindenwood University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. Saint Charles, Missouri 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 13 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Webster University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Webster University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 13 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Dakota came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Full University of North Dakota Public Administration Report
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and it awarded 11 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southeast Missouri State University Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #21, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. SMU MN is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
With a ranking of #23, Creighton University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 10 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Metropolitan State University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s list. Metro State is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Metropolitan State University
Iowa State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in the Plains States Region for a Master’s ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Iowa State University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
