2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 815 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,911 and $47,125 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 20 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region

#1

University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

#4 in overall quality

$21,962 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNLV are $21,962.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

#2

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, California

#3 in overall quality

$30,640 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region. Loma Linda University is a small school located in Loma Linda, California that handed out 1 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Loma Linda University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loma Linda University are $30,640, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Loma Linda University Public Policy Report

#2

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

#3 in overall quality

$23,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Portland State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 6 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Portland State University also made our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Portland State University Public Policy Report

#3

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.

Full University of California - Berkeley Public Policy Report

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at USC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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