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2023 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania

9 Ranked Colleges
360 Degrees Awarded
$58,997 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking.

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.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 488 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,877 and $27,000 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s”.

Top 9 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania

1
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Of the 13,519 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University, 117 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,422. In addition to receiving other benefits, 36 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Veteran Student Life Report

2

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 65 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Pitt also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.According to our most recent data, Pitt supports 32,277 students, and 509 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 364 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,281. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pitt does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 93%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Pitt]](/colleges/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus/student-life/veterans/)

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Of the 26,552 students enrolled at University of Pennsylvania, 324 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 131 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,383. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 95%.

Read More…

4
WCUPA crest
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s list. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WCUPA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Of the 17,719 students enrolled at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 390 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 208 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,155. To help with additional expenses, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

5
Kutztown University crest
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s. Located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Kutztown University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Our most recent data shows that 168 of the 7,890 students enrolled at Kutztown University were GI Bill® students, of which 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Kutztown University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

6
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Villanova, Pennsylvania 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 60 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Villanova, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.Of the 11,032 students enrolled at Villanova, 997 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 824 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,584. On top of their other funding sources, 41 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 96%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Villanova]](/colleges/villanova-university/student-life/veterans/)

7
Ship crest
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Ship is a medium-sized school located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania master’s degree vets studying public admin list, Ship has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking.According to our most recent data, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania supports 6,130 students, and 266 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 117 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,948. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania]](/colleges/shippensburg-university-of-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)

8
Strayer University - Pennsylvania crest
Strayer University - Pennsylvania
Trevose, Pennsylvania

Strayer University - Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a small private for-profit school situated in Trevose, Pennsylvania. It awarded 10 masters’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Strayer University - Pennsylvania did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Of the 2,190 students enrolled at Strayer University - Pennsylvania, 8 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Strayer University - Pennsylvania]](/colleges/strayer-university-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)

9
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania

Widener University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin for a Master’s ranking. Widener is located in Chester, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Widener did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list.Our most recent data shows that 111 of the 6,150 students enrolled at Widener University were GI Bill® students, of which 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,151. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Widener Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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