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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

Best Public Policy Schools in the Southeast 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. 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

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

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.

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

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$59,518 Median Starting Salary

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
6.8% Growth in Graduates

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$67,617 Median Starting Salary

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

4
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$46,483 Median Starting Salary

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

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

6
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$50,770 Median Starting Salary

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

7
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
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

8
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AR
50.0% Growth in Graduates

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In GA
10.0% Growth in Graduates

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

10
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

Best Public Policy Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 86
Florida 282 13
North Carolina 279 463
Virginia 274 452
Tennessee 269 81
South Carolina 248 2
Kentucky 244 9
Louisiana 242 8
Mississippi 234 51
Arkansas 234 8
Alabama 233 9
West Virginia 207 23

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 1,196
Education Policy Analysis 25
Health Policy Analysis 22
International Policy Analysis 10
Other Public Policy Analysis 7

View All Public Policy Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 3,743
Human Services 2,801
Community Organization & Advocacy 286
Other Public Administration 127

View All Public Policy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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