2023 Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration Master's Degree 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 Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 276 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for public admin students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public Administration
Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for public administration students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Orange Beach.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Columbia Southern University are $4,035 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Minnesota State University - Mankato helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration schools in the United States. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Minnesota State Mankato also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.
USD graduate students pay an average of $12,768 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USD also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Metropolitan State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Metro State are $10,237 a year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Brigham Young University - Provo helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration schools in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
BYU graduate students pay an average of $7,700 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Anna Maria College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Anna Maria are $10,530 a year.
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With a ranking of #7, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.
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Hamline University 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 #8 on the list. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 per year.
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Park University 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 #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.
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Drake University 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 #10 on the list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.
Drake graduate students pay an average of $11,988 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Drake also is in the top 5% of our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Westfield State University 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 #11 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Westfield are $6,696 a year.
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Post University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Post University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Waterbury.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Post University are $7,700 per year.
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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus 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 #12 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at FDU are $10,722 a year.
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Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ASU - Skysong are $9,982 a year.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in tuition and fees each year.
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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Madison.
FDU graduate students pay an average of $10,722 in tuition and fees each year.
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Saint Cloud State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Cloud State University are $13,412 a year.
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Seattle University 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 #18 on the list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Seattle U are $14,310 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Seattle U also did well on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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San Jose State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State graduate students pay an average of $18,790 in tuition and fees each year.
San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #19, Marywood University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Marywood are $11,438 a year.
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Marist College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie, Marist is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Marist are $15,760 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Marist is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.
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Lindenwood University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the small city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Lindenwood University graduate students pay an average of $9,784 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #25, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Cal Baptist graduate students pay an average of $14,320 in tuition and fees each year.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Public Administration students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 43 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 43 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA |
| 45 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 46 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 47 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 48 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
| 49 | University of La Verne | La Verne, CA |
| 50 | Augusta University | Augusta, GA |
| 51 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 52 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 53 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 54 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 54 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
Public Administration by Region
View the Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Public Administration Related Majors for Public Admin
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.
- 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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