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2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s 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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 8 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Virginia

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

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Public Administration at Virginia Tech

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 17 masters’s public admin degrees 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

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 61 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410.

Read more about Public Administration at George Mason University

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 97 masters’s public admin degrees 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 more about Public Administration at Liberty University

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #5 spot on the list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Commonwealth University are $29,228.

Read more about Public Administration at VCU

#6

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia

With a ranking of #6, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 58 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Old Dominion also took 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Administration at Old Dominion

#7

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. 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. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Regent are $17,052.

Read full report on Public Administration at Regent

#8

Strayer University - Virginia

Arlington, Virginia

Strayer University - Virginia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Master’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. Strayer University - Virginia is a small school located in Arlington, Virginia that handed out 15 masters’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Strayer University - Virginia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - Virginia are $15,135, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - Virginia

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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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