2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Pennsylvania

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. 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 Pennsylvania, there were 308 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,300 and $48,733 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 189 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Master’s in Pennsylvania” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania

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

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Pennsylvania

#1

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$24,236 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 34 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Temple University are $24,236, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Temple University

#2

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#3 in overall quality

$40,836 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pitt are $40,836, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at Pitt

#3

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#1 in overall quality

$47,326 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$73,720 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #3 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 111 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon are $47,326, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Carnegie Mellon Public Policy Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Master’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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