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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Plains States Region

65 Colleges in the Plains States Region
7,888 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$38,821 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 65 schools in the Plains States Region 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 7,888 degrees in public administration & social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of public administration & social service school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Public Administration & Social Service 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

The public administration & social service school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Plains States Region. 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 the Plains States Region

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 Plains States Region Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
296 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 296 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis receive $3,506 more than the standard public administration & social service student.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Washington University in St Louis

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$51,303 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in public administration & social service has to look into University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 136 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Missouri - Columbia get an earnings boost of approximately $12,482 above the average earnings of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Missouri - Columbia

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Winona State University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 17th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 91 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at Winona State University get $2,178 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
242 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$63,200 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you want to pursue a degree in public administration & social service. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 242 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn a boost of approximately $24,379 over the average earnings of public administration & social service graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$63,429 Median Starting Salary

UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.

There were approximately 147 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of St Thomas Minnesota earn $24,608 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of St Thomas Minnesota

6
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
290 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$44,031 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 290 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Kansas get an earnings boost of around $5,210 over the typical earnings of public administration & social service majors.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$42,174 Median Starting Salary

St. Scholastica is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Duluth. A Best Colleges rank of #296 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Scholastica is a great college overall.

There were roughly 105 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at St. Scholastica in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from The College of Saint Scholastica earn $3,353 more than the standard public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from The College of Saint Scholastica

8
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 174 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public administration & social service program report average early career income of $37,188.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$39,480 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 25th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 57 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program earn around $39,480 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

10
St. Kate's crest
St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
8.3% Growth in Graduates

St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul. This university ranks 16th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 72 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at St. Kate's in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from St Catherine University earn $3,641 more than the standard public administration & social service student.

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

Honorable Mentions

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 Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
12 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
12 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
13 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
14 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
15 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
16 Century College White Bear Lake, MN

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration & social service colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 731
Minnesota 38 3,541
Iowa 38 796
South Dakota 38 126
Missouri 38 1,563
Nebraska 36 471
North Dakota 35 318

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 1,464
Public Administration 1,304
Community Organization & Advocacy 179
Public Policy 144
Other Public Administration 6

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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