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2024 Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

10 Colleges in California
335 Bachelor's Degrees
$47,790 Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Administration is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #103 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 335 bachelor's degrees in public administration to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of public administration for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality public admin program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public administration students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Administration Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Public Administration in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in public administration.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Public Admin

1
44 Annual Graduates
$65,244 Median Starting Salary
$37,500 Median Student Debt

California State University - Northridge is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a very large student population.

Public Administration bachelor's degree recipients from California State University - Northridge get an earnings boost of about $17,454 over the typical income of public administration majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California State University - Northridge

2
106 Annual Graduates
$34,977 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in public administration has to look into San Diego State University. SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the public admin program earn an average of $34,977 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from San Diego State University

3
27 Annual Graduates
$29,333 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in public administration needs to check out University of La Verne. Located in the large suburb of La Verne, ULV is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from University of La Verne

4
33 Annual Graduates
$42,063 Median Starting Salary
$13,273 Median Student Debt

California State University - Fullerton is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in public administration. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, public admin bachelor's recipients typically earn about $42,063 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California State University - Fullerton

5
16 Annual Graduates
$51,784 Median Starting Salary
$39,244 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Public Administration bachelor's degree recipients from California Baptist University get an earnings boost of about $3,994 above the typical earnings of public administration graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California Baptist University

6
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
14 Annual Graduates
$61,249 Median Starting Salary
$31,603 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the public administration major at National University make $13,459 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from National University

7
11 Annual Graduates

CSUB is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Bakersfield.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California State University - Bakersfield

7

Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public university with a large student population.

After graduation, public admin bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $41,518 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California State University - Chico

8
47 Annual Graduates
$37,105 Median Starting Salary
$18,965 Median Student Debt

CSUDH is a large public university located in the small city of Carson.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the public admin program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,105.

More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from California State University - Dominguez Hills

9
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration from University of California - Riverside

Best Public Administration Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 10
Oregon 185 55
Nevada 129 0
Hawaii 112 145

View All Rankings >

Public Administration is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 335

Related Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 607
Public Policy 252
Community Organization & Advocacy 39

Notes and References

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