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Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$16,589 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$52,728 Avg Salary

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

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public administration was ranked #59 in the country. In fact 16,905 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for public admin students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 10 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Minnesota State University - Mankato the best value school in the Plains States Region for public administration students working on their master’s degree. 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.

Full Public Administration at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

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#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of South Dakota

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Metropolitan State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Metro State graduate students pay an average of $10,237 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Metropolitan State University

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#4

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Hamline University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Hamline University

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#5

Park University

Parkville, MO

The excellent master’s degree programs at Park University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration at Park University Report

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#6

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

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 #6 on the list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Drake are $11,988 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Drake is ranked #4 for overall quality for public admin in the Plains States Region .

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#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

Saint Cloud State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public school 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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#9

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University 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 Lindenwood University are $9,784 a year.

Full Public Administration at Lindenwood University Report

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#10

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE

Bellevue 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. Bellevue University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bellevue.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bellevue University are $11,730 per year.

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Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 368
Minnesota 504
Kansas 147
Iowa 114
Nebraska 110
North Dakota 24
South Dakota 37

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 24 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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