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Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in California

9 Colleges
$57,597 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 798 degrees and certificates were awarded to public policy students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #103 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the public policy master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top California Schools for a Master's in Public Policy

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for public policy students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for public policy students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Francisco. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSF is a small public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for public policy students working on their master’s degree. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

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#5

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California Lutheran University is a great place for public policy students working on their master’s degree. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Thousand Oaks.

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University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public policy programs. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

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#7

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

Pepperdine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public policy students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Malibu.

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University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public policy students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Policy at University of California - Riverside Report

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#9

Mills College

Oakland, CA

Mills College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public policy students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Oakland, Mills is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Best Public Policy Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 32
Oregon 50
Nevada 12
Alaska 0

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public policy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Public Policy

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 9 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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