2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in South Carolina

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 South Carolina” 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 South Carolina, there were 97 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,000 and $50,840 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 86 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 South Carolina” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 South Carolina” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for south carolina master’s degree public admin students.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in South Carolina

#1

Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina

#1 in overall quality

$23,246 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$65,332 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Clemson University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina. Clemson is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 43 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Clemson also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in South Carolina” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Clemson are $23,246, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Administration at Clemson

#2

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina

#2 in overall quality

$30,160 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #2 spot on the list. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofSC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in South Carolina” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UofSC are $30,160, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of South Carolina - Columbia

#3

College of Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina

#3 in overall quality

$36,592 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$43,575 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Charleston. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina list. C of C is a fairly large public school situated in Charleston, South Carolina. It awarded 16 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

C of C did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in South Carolina” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at College of Charleston are $36,592, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at College of Charleston

#4

South University, Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina

#4 in overall quality

$16,320 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$45,068 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South University, Columbia. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina. South University, Columbia is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

South University, Columbia also made our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in South Carolina” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at South University, Columbia are $16,320.

Read full report on Public Administration at South University, Columbia

#5

Strayer University - South Carolina

Greenville, South Carolina

#5 in overall quality

$15,135 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$42,682 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Strayer University - South Carolina. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in South Carolina list. Greenville, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Strayer University - South Carolina also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in South Carolina” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - South Carolina are $15,135, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Strayer University - South Carolina Public Administration Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration

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.

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