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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region

11 Ranked Colleges
229 Degrees Awarded
$59,367 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region

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 the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. 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 the Southwest region, there were 585 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,714 and $21,641 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 229 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree 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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The public policy 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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region”.

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.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region

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

Top 11 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of St. Thomas. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region. Located in Houston, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of St. Thomas

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #2 spot on the list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 99 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 The University of Texas at Austin

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Oklahoma Public Policy Report

4
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 21 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 86%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UH

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #5 spot on the list. ASU - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong Public Policy Report

6

With a ranking of #6, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. UNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 7 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Policy at UNM

7

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Arizona State University - Tempe

8

The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UT Dallas Public Policy Report

9

With a ranking of #9, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 15 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Public Policy Report

10
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Public Policy Report

11

With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. UT Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UT Arlington

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