2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Iowa (With Aid)

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 “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. 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 Iowa, there were 164 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,729 and $50,781 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 60 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,298 and $45,299 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa master’s degree public admin students with aid.

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$19,152 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$43,798 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Upper Iowa University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Fayette, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 19 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

UIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Upper Iowa University are $19,152, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UIU Public Administration Report

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$11,932 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$49,312 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Drake also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drake University are $11,932, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Drake Public Administration Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (With Aid)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

Featured Public Administration Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >