2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Public Administration & Social Service is the 14th most popular major in the country with 97,666 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 49,910 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 439 colleges that offered a degree in public administration and social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration and social service programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 515 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k list, Harvard has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full Harvard University Public Administration & Social Service Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 96 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton are $56,470.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Princeton
Out of the 439 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 132 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 536 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at UChicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k list, Duke has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Duke
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 960 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k list, Columbia has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Public Administration & Social Service Report
Stanford University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 23 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Stanford University
Johns Hopkins University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins University are $59,425, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Johns Hopkins
Washington University in St Louis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 266 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k list, WUSTL has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Washington University in St Louis
Georgetown University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 182 diplomas to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.
Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown University are $53,591, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Georgetown University
Brown University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brown University is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 55 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Brown also took the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brown University are $60,363.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Brown
Cornell University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 79 degrees to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.
Cornell excels when it comes to public administration and social service quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Cornell
Vanderbilt University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 50 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt excels when it comes to public administration and social service quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Vanderbilt
University of Pennsylvania landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 255 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k list, UPenn has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UPenn
Hunter College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Hunter is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 544 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Hunter also did well on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter are $20,828.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Hunter
Baruch College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 195 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Baruch also claimed a top spot on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Baruch College are $20,880.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Baruch College
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public administration and social service degrees to 468 students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 522 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Public Administration & Social Service Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 217 degrees to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UC Berkeley
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 198 degrees to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Cal State LA
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 137 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UCLA is in the top on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at UCLA
William & Mary landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 13 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, William & Mary is in the top on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at William & Mary
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 158 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151.
Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at UT Rio Grande Valley
California State University - Fresno ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 69 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at California State University - Fresno
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 210 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, UW - Madison is in the top on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full UW - Madison Public Administration & Social Service Report
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 52 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 52 | Western New Mexico University | Silver City, NM |
| 54 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 55 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
| 56 | Winona State University | Winona, MN |
| 57 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 58 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney, WA |
| 59 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 60 | Indiana University - Northwest | Gary, IN |
| 61 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 62 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 63 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, NY |
| 64 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 65 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to University of the Fraser Valley.
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