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Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools

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2023 Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools

75 Colleges
$64,120 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, 16,905 people earned a degree or certificate in public administration, making the major the #59 most popular in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 75 schools in the United States to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 15% Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Our analysis found Johns Hopkins University to be the best school for public administration students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.

Full Public Administration at Johns Hopkins University Report

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of South Dakota

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Out of the 75 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern University

#4

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Kansas State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Kansas State University

#5

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

The excellent graduate certificate programs at University of North Dakota helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of North Dakota

#6

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate public administration programs. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate public administration programs. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Full Public Administration at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate public administration programs. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.

Read full report on Public Administration at Texas A&M University - College Station

With a ranking of #10, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.

Read More…

#11

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

Full Public Administration at Virginia Tech Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration students that almost earned our Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 Clemson University Clemson, SC
13 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
14 New York University New York, NY
15 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS

Public Administration by Region

View the Best Public Administration Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Public Admin

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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