2023 Best Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in California
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 city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - San Francisco. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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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 large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Public Policy at University of California - Irvine Report
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Pepperdine University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public policy programs. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Malibu.
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University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public policy programs. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside
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With a ranking of #9, Mills College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public policy students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Oakland, Mills is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Public Policy Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Public Policy
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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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