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2023 Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools

35 Colleges
$63,791 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned a degree or certificate in public policy, making the major the #113 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 35 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for public policy majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top 10 Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Our 2023 rankings named University of Chicago the best school in the United States for public policy students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Policy at University of Chicago Report

#2

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Dakota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools list. UND is a large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.

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#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Pennsylvania is a great place for public policy students working on their graduate certificate. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools list. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

On average, public policy graduates from U-M take out $16,931 in student loans while working on their Graduate Certificate.

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Out of the 35 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, California University of Pennsylvania landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of California.

Read full report on Public Policy at California University of Pennsylvania

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate public policy programs. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a very large student population.

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University of Southern California landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate public policy programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Public Policy at University of Southern California Report

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Public Policy at Columbia University in the City of New York

#9

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Policy at George Mason University

#10

Norwich University

Northfield, VT

Norwich University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the distant town of Northfield, Norwich is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Public Policy by Region

View the Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Public Policy is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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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