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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in California

15 Ranked Colleges
480 Degrees Awarded
$52,627 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 798 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,313 and $22,744 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 480 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,974 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public policy.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California

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

Top 15 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in California

1
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mills College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. This small school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Mills College

2
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Lutheran University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California. CLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at California Lutheran University

3
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pepperdine University landed the #3 spot on the list. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 31 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about Public Policy at Pepperdine University

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 108 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UC Berkeley

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 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 masters’s public policy degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Public Policy at USC

6

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 70 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 57 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at University of California - San Diego

8
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #8, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Policy at Stanford

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UCR

10

With a ranking of #10, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Public Policy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

11

University of California - Irvine came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UC Irvine

12

University of California - San Francisco ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California list. University of California - San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Policy at UCSF

13
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 masters’s 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 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of the Pacific

14
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Claremont Graduate University

14

University of California - Hastings College of Law did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 0 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Public Policy at UC Hastings

Notes and References

References

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