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

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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.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public admin majors pursuing a master's degree.

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 small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration schools in the Plains States Region . USD is a medium-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.

Full Public Administration at University of South Dakota Report

Out of the 24 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Metropolitan State University

#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 city of Saint Paul.

Hamline graduate students pay an average of $10,402 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#5

Park University

Parkville, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Park University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Park University are $6,435 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Park University

#6

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Drake University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.

Drake graduate students pay an average of $11,988 in tuition and fees each year.

Drake did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read full report on Public Administration at Drake University

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

Saint Cloud 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 #7 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saint Cloud State University

#9

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Lindenwood University

#10

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE

With a ranking of #10, Bellevue University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bellevue.

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

Read More…

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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