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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

26 Colleges in Pennsylvania
3,595 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$41,444 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public administration & social service is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #14 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 26 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,595 degrees in public administration & social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania The public administration & social service program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Administration & Social Service rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public administration & social service schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Public Administration & Social Service Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Bachelor's Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Master's Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service
Doctor's Degrees in Public Administration & Social Service

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Administration & Social Service in Pennsylvania

The schools below may not offer all types of public administration & social service degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$62,723 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service has to take a look at Carnegie Mellon University. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 92 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University receive $21,279 more than the average public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Carnegie Mellon University

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
270 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$65,385 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 270 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of approximately $23,941 over the average earnings of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Pennsylvania

3
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$63,051 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service has to check out Villanova University. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were roughly 114 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Villanova University get an earnings boost of around $21,607 over the typical earnings of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Villanova University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
357 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$42,608 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service has to check out University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 357 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn an average of $42,608 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

5
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
293 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$47,338 Median Starting Salary

Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Widener is a great university overall.

There were roughly 293 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at Widener University get $5,894 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Widener University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
197 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$40,672 Median Starting Salary

WCUPA is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of West Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #241 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WCUPA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 197 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career earnings of $40,672.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

7
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
219 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 219 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make about $39,779 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Temple University

8
Etown crest
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,564 Median Starting Salary
$38,426 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #537 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Etown is a great college overall.

There were roughly 22 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Etown in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Elizabethtown College receive an earnings boost of about $2,120 over the typical income of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Elizabethtown College

9
Dickinson crest
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$50,129 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Carlisle, Dickinson is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #379 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Dickinson is a great college overall.

There were approximately 16 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Dickinson in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Dickinson College earn $8,685 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Dickinson College

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$36,214 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 50th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 136 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Millersville in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program state that they receive average early career income of $36,214.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 2,682
New York 38 10,303
Maryland 37 1,711
Delaware 33 443
District of Columbia 33 867

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 488
Human Services 449
Public Policy 330
Community Organization & Advocacy 40
Other Public Administration 22

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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