College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s

369 Ranked Colleges
12,290 Degrees Awarded
$52,728 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master's

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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s” ranking looked at 369 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. To top this list, a school must have a successful public administration program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Admin Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s”.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 374 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Columbia University in the City of New York

2

Out of the 369 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 242 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Northridge

3
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Canyon University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s. Grand Canyon University is located in Phoenix, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 221 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand Canyon University Public Administration Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 214 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 193 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Harvard Public Administration Report

6
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

With a ranking of #6, New York University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 184 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full NYU Public Administration Report

7

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 168 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Public Administration Report

8
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 166 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full The American University Public Administration Report

9
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 164 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Full University of Southern California Public Administration Report

10
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, New York

With a ranking of #10, Baruch College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Baruch is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 163 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Baruch College Public Administration Report

11
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 161 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Liberty University Public Administration Report

12

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. UOPX - Arizona is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 160 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at UOPX - Arizona

12
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

With a ranking of #12, Syracuse University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Syracuse University is a large school located in Syracuse, New York that handed out 160 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Syracuse

14

With a ranking of #14, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 159 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full IU Bloomington Public Administration Report

15

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 154 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at CU Anschutz

16
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

With a ranking of #16, Walden University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school awarded 152 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Walden University Public Administration Report

17
Rutgers Newark crest
Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Rutgers University - Newark did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. Rutgers Newark is a fairly large public school situated in Newark, New Jersey. It awarded 138 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

Read more about Public Administration at Rutgers University - Newark

18
Barry University crest
Barry University
Miami, Florida

Barry University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s 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 full report on Public Administration at Barry University

19
Columbia Southern University crest
Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, Alabama

Columbia Southern University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school situated in Orange Beach, Alabama. It awarded 127 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at Columbia Southern University

20

Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking. A-State is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 121 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Arkansas State University - Main Campus

21

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 115 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

22

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #22. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at UCF

23

With a ranking of #23, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 106 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Public Administration Report

23

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #23. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public admin degrees to 106 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at CSULB

25

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 105 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full IUPUI Public Administration Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s

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

26
Anna Maria crest
Anna Maria College
Paxton, Massachusetts
27
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California
28
29
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia
30
30
32
Marist crest
Marist College
Poughkeepsie, New York
33
33
35
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
35
37
38
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
39
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
39
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
41
42
TROY crest
Troy University
Troy, Alabama
42
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
44
45
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, Minnesota
45
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
47
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
48
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
48
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Public Admin Major for a Master’s

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

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
51University of BaltimoreBaltimore, MD
53Ohio University - Athens CampusAthens, OH
53Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
55University at AlbanyAlbany, NY
56Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
56University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC
56Southern Utah UniversityCedar City, UT

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options