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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
2,840 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$39,037 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public administration & social service, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #14 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 19 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,840 degrees in public administration & social service to qualified students.

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 North Carolina 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. We derive our Best Overall Public Administration & Social Service 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 Administration & Social Service Rankings by Degree Level

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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Administration & Social Service in North Carolina

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public administration & social service degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

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

Duke University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the large 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 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 269 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service program at Duke University earn $20,481 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
387 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$46,913 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you want to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. 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 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were roughly 387 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $7,877 more than the standard public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
209 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
6.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in public administration & social service needs to check out North Carolina State University. NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 209 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at NC State 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 $40,323.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from North Carolina State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
0.7% Growth in Graduates

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in public administration & social service. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #623 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were approximately 144 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro 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 wages of $40,724.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 192 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients typically earn an average of $39,010 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

WCU is a large public university located in the distant town of Cullowhee. A Best Colleges rank of #859 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WCU is a great university overall.

There were about 181 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from Western Carolina University earn a boost of approximately $3,095 over the typical income of public administration & social service graduates.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$38,581 Median Starting Salary

ECU is a very large public university located in the city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 130 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career wages of $38,581.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
197 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
14.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 197 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make an average of $39,980 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were roughly 178 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. After graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients generally make around $38,481 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$34,130 Median Starting Salary

NC A&T is a large public university located in the city of Greensboro. This university ranks 41st out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 78 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at NC A&T in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make an average of $34,130 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from North Carolina A & T State University

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 38 497
Mississippi 38 748
South Carolina 38 695
Florida 38 4,051
Virginia 38 2,056
Arkansas 38 671
Alabama 37 1,608
Kentucky 37 1,970
Georgia 37 1,470
Tennessee 37 1,440
Louisiana 37 1,118

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 469
Public Policy 463
Human Services 129
Other Public Administration 14
Community Organization & Advocacy 8

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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