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Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania

10 Colleges
$58,877 Avg Salary
$27,000 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

In 2020-2021, 483 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #83 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. 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.

The Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration Schools

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Our 2023 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the best school in Pennsylvania for public administration students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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#2

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Out of the 10 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Villanova University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration at Villanova University Report

#3

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Read full report on Public Administration at Carnegie Mellon University

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a great place for public administration students. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.

Full Public Administration at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

The excellent programs at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in Pennsylvania. Ship is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Shippensburg.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, public admin majors at Pitt accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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#7

Widener University

Chester, PA

Widener University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania list. Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chester.

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Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

#9

Marywood University

Scranton, PA

With a ranking of #9, Marywood University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. Located in the small city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Marywood University

Strayer University - Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Trevose, Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Strayer University - Pennsylvania

Best Public Administration Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 1,899
Maryland 254
New Jersey 403
District of Columbia 292
Delaware 29

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 10 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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