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2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region

99 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
14,862 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$38,683 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.

College Factual looked at 99 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 14,862 degrees in public administration & social service to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School

Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes 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

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 the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Great Lakes 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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Public Administration & Social Service

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
563 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$55,702 Median Starting Salary

University of Chicago is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 563 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service degree program at University of Chicago get $17,019 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$71,872 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 225 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Northwestern University earn $33,189 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
619 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$48,674 Median Starting Salary

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 619 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $9,991 more than the average public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
639 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$42,753 Median Starting Salary

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public administration & social service. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were roughly 639 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service major at Indiana University - Bloomington earn $4,070 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Bloomington

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
260 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
11.2% Growth in Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 260 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public administration & social service program make an average of $40,501 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
359 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 359 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of approximately $2,939 above the typical earnings of public administration & social service graduates.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
843 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
13.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 843 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State 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 earnings of $39,648.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
360 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
8.1% Growth in Graduates

Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 360 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration & social service program at Loyola University Chicago get $4,160 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$44,289 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were approximately 162 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Case Western Reserve University earn $5,606 more than the standard public administration & social service grad.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
887 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$51,526 Median Starting Salary

IUPUI is a very large public university located in the large city of Indianapolis. This university ranks 7th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 887 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available. Those public administration & social service students who get their degree from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis receive $12,843 more than the average public administration & social service graduate.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
786 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora. This university ranks 15th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 786 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, public administration & social service degree recipients typically earn an average of $37,201 in the first five years of their career.

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

12
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$37,242 Median Starting Salary

UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public university located in the city of Eau Claire. This university ranks 5th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 101 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UW - Eau Claire 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 $37,242.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
$48,269 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 301 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Public Administration & Social Service degree recipients from University of Illinois at Chicago receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,586 above the average earnings of public administration & social service majors.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Chicago

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
445 Public Administration & Social Service Degrees Awarded
17.1% Growth in Graduates

IWU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion. This university ranks 8th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 445 public administration & social service students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public administration & social service degree recipients typically earn around $31,691 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in public administration & social service from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

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 Great Lakes Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
15Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
16University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
17University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
18Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI
19Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
20Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
21Indiana Wesleyan UniversityMarion, IN
22University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
23Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI
24Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Indiana383,145
Michigan383,343
Ohio383,018
Illinois383,796
Wisconsin371,297

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Administration2,265
Human Services990
Public Policy931
Community Organization & Advocacy529
Other Public Administration90

View All Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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