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2024 Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region

13 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
946 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$49,270 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public policy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #113 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 946 degrees in public policy to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Policy School

Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region The public policy program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Policy rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public policy schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Public Policy Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Policy
Master's Degrees in Public Policy
Doctor's Degrees in Public Policy

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Policy Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Policy in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public policy degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Public Policy

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
411 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$61,143 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in public policy. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 411 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public policy program at University of Chicago get $11,874 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Chicago

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$40,701 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public policy. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 45 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program state that they receive average early career wages of $40,701.

More information about a degree in public policy from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
13.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public policy. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 225 public policy students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public policy major at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor get $4,139 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
34.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in public policy has to check out University of Wisconsin - Madison. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 96 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public policy degree program at University of Wisconsin - Madison make $3,598 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
$14,246 Median Student Debt

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 22 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 6th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 27 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Illinois at Chicago

7
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,680 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program report average early career earnings of $41,680.

More information about a degree in public policy from Michigan State University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IN
33.3% Growth in Graduates

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 3 public policy students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from Indiana University - Bloomington

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN

Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 5 public policy students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,789 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 26 public policy students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program report average early career earnings of $39,789.

More information about a degree in public policy from DePaul University

Best Public Policy Colleges by State

Explore the best public policy colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 251
Ohio 314 33
Illinois 304 489
Indiana 294 7
Wisconsin 273 29

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Public Administration & Social Service area of study, Public Policy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Policy Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis 906
International Policy Analysis 21
Other Public Policy Analysis 11
Health Policy Analysis 8

View All Public Policy Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 2,575
Human Services 982
Community Organization & Advocacy 566
Other Public Administration 53

View All Public Policy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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