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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major

369 Ranked Colleges
12,290 Degrees Awarded
$52,728 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Public Admin Major

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Public Administration is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,905 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $51,352 and had an average of $29,054 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 12,290 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking analyzed 369 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public administration.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major

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

Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Calumet College of Saint Joseph. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. Whiting, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at CCSJ

2
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Anna Maria College
Paxton, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anna Maria College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Located in Paxton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 99 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Anna Maria

3
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The Evergreen State College
Olympia, Washington

Out of the 369 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Evergreen State College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Olympia, Washington, this small public school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Evergreen

4
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Barry University
Miami, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Barry University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Barry University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Public Administration at Barry University

5
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Strayer University - Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Strayer University - Arkansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Strayer University - Arkansas is located in Little Rock, Arkansas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Full Strayer University - Arkansas Public Administration Report

6

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Middlebury Institute

7
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Alfred University
Alfred, New York

Alfred University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Alfred, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Full Alfred Public Administration Report

8
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University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

University of Baltimore landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this small public school awarded 64 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Baltimore

9
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Hilbert College
Hamburg, New York

Hilbert College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Hilbert College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamburg, New York. It awarded 8 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Hilbert College Public Administration Report

10

University of Alaska Southeast ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Located in Juneau, Alaska, this small public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UAS Public Administration Report

11

John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #11. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 214 students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full John Jay Public Administration Report

12
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Marist College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Marist College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Marist is a medium-sized school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 83 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Marist Public Administration Report

13

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 48 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Public Administration Report

14
Strayer University - North Carolina crest
Strayer University - North Carolina
Morrisville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #14, Strayer University - North Carolina did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Strayer University - North Carolina is located in Morrisville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Full Strayer University - North Carolina Public Administration Report

15
UOG crest
University of Guam
Mangilao, <nil>

With a ranking of #15, University of Guam did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. UOG is a small public school situated in Mangilao, . It awarded 28 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Guam

16
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Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Clark is a small school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 56 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Read more about Public Administration at Clark

17

Virginia International University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #17. Virginia International University is a small school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 2 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Virginia International University

18
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Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, California

Notre Dame de Namur University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. NDNU is a small school located in Belmont, California that handed out 18 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at NDNU

19

Southern University and A & M College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Southern University and A & M College is a medium-sized school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that handed out 47 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Southern University and A & M College

20
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Randall University
Moore, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #20, Randall University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. This small school is located in Moore, Oklahoma, and it awarded 2 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Randall

21
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. The American University is a fairly large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 166 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at The American University

22
North Carolina Central University crest
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

North Carolina Central University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. North Carolina Central University is a public institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 57 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at North Carolina Central University

23
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Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Rutgers University - Newark landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Rutgers Newark is a public institution located in Newark, New Jersey. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 138 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Rutgers University - Newark Public Administration Report

24
Reinhardt University crest
Reinhardt University
Waleska, Georgia

Reinhardt University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Reinhardt University is located in Waleska, Georgia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Reinhardt University

25

Texas Southern University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. TSU is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 48 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at TSU

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Strayer University - Pennsylvania
Trevose, Pennsylvania
27
28
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Golden Gate University - San Francisco
San Francisco, California
29
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Hawaii Pacific University
Honolulu, Hawaii
30
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Strayer University - Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
31
32
33
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Hamline University
Saint Paul, Minnesota
34
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Baruch College
New York, New York
35
Wayland Baptist University crest
Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, Texas
36
37
38
Belhaven crest
Belhaven University
Jackson, Mississippi
39
40
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West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia
41
42
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Strayer University - South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
43
Norwich crest
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont
44
Savannah State University crest
Savannah State University
Savannah, Georgia
45
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
46
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa
47
TUW crest
Touro University Worldwide
Los Alamitos, California
48
South University, Columbia crest
South University, Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
49
Centenary crest
Centenary University
Hackettstown, New Jersey
50
Southern Utah University crest
Southern Utah University
Cedar City, Utah

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Admin Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
52 University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC
53 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
54 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Odessa, TX
55 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
56 Franklin University Columbus, OH

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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