by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 404 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of public administration and social service. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 49,660 master's degrees in public administration and social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of public administration and social service for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality public administration and social service program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public administration and social service students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration and social service. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a master's degree in public administration and social service. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Chicago
Princeton University is a great option for students pursuing a master's degree in public administration and social service. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Princeton.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Princeton University
Harvard University is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in public administration and social service. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Harvard University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in public administration and social service needs to check out Duke University. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Duke University
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Johns Hopkins University
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of California - Berkeley
Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Northwestern University
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Southern California
Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from New York University
Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Brown University
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Washington University in St Louis
Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Boston University
Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Georgetown University
Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Pennsylvania
GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from George Washington University
U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from American University
Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Maryland - Baltimore
UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public university located in the city of New Brunswick.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Villanova University
Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.More information about a master’s in public administration and social service from Syracuse University
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 404 different United States public administration and social service schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 51 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 52 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 53 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 54 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 55 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 56 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 57 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 58 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 59 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 60 | Hunter College | New York, NY |
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 62 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 63 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 64 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 65 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 66 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 67 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 68 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 69 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 70 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 71 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 72 | Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, PA |
| 73 | Widener University | Chester, PA |
| 74 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 75 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 76 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 77 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 78 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 79 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 80 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
View the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 32,218 |
| Public Administration | 12,290 |
| Public Policy | 3,153 |
| Human Services | 1,153 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 633 |
| Other Public Administration | 213 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 11,614 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 9,894 |
| Legal Professions | 7,113 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 1,035 |
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