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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) 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 For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Public Administration is the 58th most popular major in the country with 17,269 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 515 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,860 and $39,579 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 For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

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 For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Tech are $30,547, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Virginia Tech Public Administration Report

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 61 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin 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 more about Public Administration at GMU

#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at JMU are $29,544, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Administration at JMU

#4

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 58 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Old Dominion, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Old Dominion are $33,288, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Old Dominion University Public Administration Report

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #5 spot on the list. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, VCU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Commonwealth University are $29,228, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Public Administration Report

#6

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Beach, Virginia 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 21 students in 2019-2020.

Regent also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Regent are $17,052, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Regent University Public Administration Report

#7

Strayer University - Virginia

Arlington, Virginia

Strayer University - Virginia came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Strayer University - Virginia is a small private for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 15 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Strayer University - Virginia also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - Virginia are $15,135, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - Virginia

#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

Liberty University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Liberty University

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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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