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Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

22 Colleges
$48,536 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree 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.

The Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Illinois 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 Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Northwestern University Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#4

Erikson Institute

Chicago, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Erikson Institute. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, The Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Erikson Institute Report

#5

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Aurora University is a great place for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Aurora University

Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Western Illinois University Report

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Northern Illinois University

With a ranking of #8, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read More…

#9

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Dominican University Report

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.

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

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 22 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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