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Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in California

23 Colleges
$52,728 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,883 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #58 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the public admin master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best school for public administration students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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#3

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USFCA is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at Golden Gate University - San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in California. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the # 5 spot on the list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

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California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

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California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Bakersfield, CSUB is a public school with a large student population.

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California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

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#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

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California Baptist University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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Best Public Administration Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 297
Oregon 117
Nevada 78
Hawaii 186
Alaska 34

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

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 23 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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