2023 Best Value Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value 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 value experiences for public policy students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public policy majors pursuing a master's degree.
Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public Policy
Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best value school for public policy students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $14,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California rankings.
Full Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
UCLA graduate students pay an average of $13,036 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UCLA is ranked #4 for overall quality for public policy in California.
Full Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Francisco. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCSF are $12,999 a year.
Out of the 9 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Irvine are $13,356 a year.
The excellent master’s degree programs at California Lutheran University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public policy schools in California. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Thousand Oaks.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CLU are $20,600 per year.
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCR are $13,467 a year.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside
University of Southern California ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
USC graduate students pay an average of $61,396 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
USC also took the #5 spot in our Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in California rankings.
Full Public Policy at University of Southern California Report
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 #8 on the list. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Malibu.
Pepperdine graduate students pay an average of $37,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Mills College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public policy programs. Located in the city of Oakland, Mills is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Mills graduate students pay an average of $36,443 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
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.
- 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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