2023 Best Value Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in District of Columbia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

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

Public Policy is the #24 most popular major in District of Columbia with 320 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Public Policy Master's Degree Schools in District of Columbia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 3 schools in District of Columbia to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for public policy students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Public Policy Master's Degree Colleges.

Best District of Columbia Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public Policy

#1

George Washington University

Washington, DC

62 Master's Degrees

#2 in Quality in District of Columbia

$32,904 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found George Washington University to be the best value school for public policy students who want to pursue a master’s degree in District of Columbia. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.

GWU graduate students pay an average of $32,904 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

GWU not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia list.

Full Public Policy at George Washington University Report

#2

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

201 Master's Degrees

#1 in Quality in District of Columbia

$55,128 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at Georgetown University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public policy schools in District of Columbia. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Georgetown are $55,128 a year.

Georgetown did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia list.

Full Public Policy at Georgetown University Report

#3

American University

Washington, DC

47 Master's Degrees

#3 in Quality in District of Columbia

$38,456 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means American University is a great value for public policy students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at The American University are $38,456 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, The American University is ranked #3 for overall quality for public policy in District of Columbia.

Full Public Policy at American University Report

Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

Majors Related to Public Policy

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

Most Popular Majors Related to Public Policy

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 3 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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