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Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

5 Colleges
$55,530 Avg Salary
$25,500 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Graduate Certificate School for You

With 3,948 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #13 most popular major in Illinois.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate 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 Administration & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

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

Top Illinois Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Public & Social Service

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Northwestern University Report

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#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit 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 Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

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#4

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Aurora University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Aurora University Report

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The excellent graduate certificate programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Illinois. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 3,206
Michigan 3,411
Ohio 3,030
Wisconsin 1,299

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

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

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 5 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.

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