Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in California

3 Colleges
$25,305 Avg Salary
$20,672 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree School for You

With 8,979 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #16 most popular major in California.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 3 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Colleges.

Top California Schools for an Associate in Public & Social Service

#1

San Diego City College

San Diego, CA

Our 2023 rankings named San Diego City College the best school in California for public administration and social service students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego City College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at San Diego City College Report

#2

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA

Out of the 3 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Fresno City College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Fresno City College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Fresno.

Read More…

#3

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Mount Saint Mary’s University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in California. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Read More…

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,252
Oregon 832
Hawaii 396
Nevada 610
Alaska 121

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 73,813
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 3 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.