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2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland

12 Ranked Colleges
751 Degrees Awarded
$18,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in Maryland

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across Maryland, there were 1,906 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,088 and $33,993 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 751 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,371 and $23,982 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration and social service programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Maryland

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - Baltimore County landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMBC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMBC is $19,082 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UMBC Public Administration & Social Service Report

#2

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the #2 spot on the list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.

UMCP also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $19,045 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UMCP

#3

Salisbury University

Salisbury, Maryland
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, Salisbury University landed the #3 spot on the list. Salisbury, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 137 students in 2019-2020.

Salisbury also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Salisbury is $19,617 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Salisbury University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland Global Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland. University of Maryland Global Campus is a large public school situated in Adelphi, Maryland. It awarded 90 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

UMGC also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for UMGC is $14,288 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UMGC

#5

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, Towson University landed the #5 spot on the list. Towson is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 119 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Towson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list. The yearly cost to attend Towson University is $18,233 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Towson University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#6

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, Maryland
#9 in overall quality

Frostburg State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking. Frostburg State is a public institution located in Frostburg, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Frostburg State also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Frostburg State University is $16,676 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Full Frostburg State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#7

Bowie State University

Bowie, Maryland
#10 in overall quality

Bowie State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking. Bowie, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

Bowie State University also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $15,934 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Bowie State University.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Bowie State University

#8

St Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, Maryland
#6 in overall quality

St Mary’s College of Maryland ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland list. St Mary’s College of Maryland is a small school located in St. Mary’s City, Maryland that handed out 10 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

SMCM also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St Mary’s College of Maryland is $19,369 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full SMCM Public Administration & Social Service Report

#9

Morgan State University

Baltimore, Maryland
#11 in overall quality

Morgan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking, coming in at #9. Morgan State is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Morgan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list. The yearly cost to attend Morgan State University is $17,619 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Full Morgan State Public Administration & Social Service Report

#10

Coppin State University

Baltimore, Maryland
#12 in overall quality

Coppin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking, coming in at #10. Coppin State University is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Coppin, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Coppin is $11,686 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Full Coppin State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#11

University of Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland
#7 in overall quality

University of Baltimore came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking. University of Baltimore is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UB also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Baltimore is $21,183 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at University of Baltimore

#12

Hood College

Frederick, Maryland
#8 in overall quality

Hood College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland ranking. This small school is located in Frederick, Maryland, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Hood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hood College is $23,767 for maryland bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Hood

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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.

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