2023 Most Popular Public Administration Master's Degree Schools
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.
The Most Popular Public Administration Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 369 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Administration program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for public admin majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Master's in Public Administration
Our analysis found Columbia University in the City of New York to be the most popular school for public administration students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Of the 374 students majoring in public admin at Columbia, 41% are male and 59% are female.
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Out of the 369 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the # 2 spot on the list. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.
About 72% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 28% are male.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Grand Canyon University is a great place for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
Of the 221 students majoring in public admin at Grand Canyon University, 35% are male and 65% are female.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. John Jay is a fairly large public school located in the large city of New York.
About 59% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 41% are male.
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The in-demand master’s degree programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular public administration schools in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Of the 193 students majoring in public admin at Harvard, 55% are male and 45% are female.
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New York University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 67% of the public admin majors at the school.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree public administration programs. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle.
Of the 168 students majoring in public admin at UW Seattle, 35% are male and 65% are female.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
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American University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
About 63% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 37% are male.
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University of Southern California ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
About 64% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 36% are male.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Southern California
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Baruch College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Baruch is a large public school located in the large city of New York.
Of the 163 students majoring in public admin at Baruch, 34% are male and 66% are female.
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Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
About 45% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 55% are male.
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Syracuse University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
About 53% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 48% are male.
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University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Tempe.
Of the 160 students majoring in public admin at UOPX - Arizona, 28% are male and 72% are female.
Full Public Administration at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report
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Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.
About 60% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 40% are male.
Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University - Bloomington
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University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. CU Anschutz is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denver.
About 66% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 34% are male.
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With a ranking of #17, Rutgers University - Newark did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Rutgers Newark is a large public school located in the large city of Newark.
About 64% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 36% are male.
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With a ranking of #18, Barry University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Miami, Barry University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Women make up 55% of the public admin majors at the school.
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Columbia Southern University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Orange Beach.
About 47% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 53% are male.
Full Public Administration at Columbia Southern University Report
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Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. A-State is a large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.
Women make up 60% of the public admin majors at the school.
Read full report on Public Administration at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
About 67% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 33% are male.
Full Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Report
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University of Central Florida came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UCF is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Orlando.
About 68% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 32% are male.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Central Florida
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Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
About 50% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 50% are male.
Read full report on Public Administration at Texas A&M University - College Station
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California State University - Long Beach landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
Of the 106 students majoring in public admin at CSULB, 38% are male and 62% are female.
Full Public Administration at California State University - Long Beach Report
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Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public school with a very large student population.
About 49% of the students majoring in public admin at the school are women while 51% are male.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Public Administration Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 369 different United States public administration schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Baltimore | Baltimore, MD |
| 51 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 53 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
| 53 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 55 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Public Administration Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 56 | Southern Utah University | Cedar City, UT |
| 56 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 59 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 60 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 61 | North Carolina Central University | Durham, NC |
| 62 | The Evergreen State College | Olympia, WA |
| 62 | Clark University | Worcester, MA |
| 64 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 65 | Purdue University Global | Indianapolis, IN |
| 65 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
| 67 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 67 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 69 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 70 | Texas Southern University | Houston, TX |
| 70 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL |
| 72 | Southern University and A & M College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 73 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS |
Public Administration by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
Public Administration Related Majors
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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