2024 Best Public Policy Schools in the Southeast Region
20
Colleges in the Southeast Region
1,260
Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$50,417
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
public policy, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #113 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for public policy students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,260 degrees in public policy to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Public Policy School
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. We derive our Best Overall Public Policy School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
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
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Policy Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
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Featured Public Policy Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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Best Schools for Public Policy in the Southeast Region
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the public policy degree levels they offer.
10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Public Policy
Duke University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were about 269 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Those public policy students who get their degree from Duke University receive $9,101 more than the standard public policy graduate.
More information about a degree in public policy from Duke University
Every student pursuing a degree in public policy needs to look into University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were about 190 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill 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 $39,751.
More information about a degree in public policy from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
George Mason University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in public policy. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 88 public policy students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Public Policy degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of approximately $17,200 above the typical income of public policy majors.
More information about a degree in public policy from George Mason University
Every student pursuing a degree in public policy has to look into Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were roughly 59 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients usually make around $46,483 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in public policy from Vanderbilt University
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 165 public policy students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Those public policy students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus earn $4,390 more than the typical public policy student.
More information about a degree in public policy from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #111 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.
There were approximately 55 public policy students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program state that they receive average early career earnings of $50,770.
More information about a degree in public policy from William & Mary
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In VA
Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 27 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in public policy from Virginia Tech
Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 34 schools for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.
There were approximately 8 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UARK in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in public policy from University of Arkansas
Located in the midsize city of Macon, Mercer is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 4th out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.
There were about 10 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Mercer in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in public policy from Mercer University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In KY
UK is a very large public university located in the large city of Lexington. This university ranks 1st out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were approximately 22 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in public policy from University of Kentucky