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Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

125 Colleges
$43,633 Avg Salary
$24,797 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public administration and social service was ranked #14 in the country. In fact 98,583 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 125 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for public administration and social service majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Our 2023 rankings named Princeton University the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for public administration and social service students. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from Princeton take out $10,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Princeton University Report

#2

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

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

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#3

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

The excellent programs at Cornell University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Cornell take out is $13,000.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Cornell University Report

#4

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Elizabethtown College is a great place for public administration and social service students. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Etown accumulate an average of around $38,426 in student debt.

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#5

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Georgetown University is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

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

Delaware Technical Community College - Terry ranked #6 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Delaware Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Dover.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Delaware Tech take out is $10,000.

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University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Maryland - Baltimore

#8

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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#9

Camden County College

Blackwood, NJ

With a ranking of #9, Camden County College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Blackwood, Camden County College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at Camden County College take out an average of $10,872 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Borough of Manhattan Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. BMCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at BMCC take out is $8,500.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Borough of Manhattan Community College Report

#11

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #11 on the list. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

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

#12

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at GWU take out an average of $24,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at George Washington University

#13

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #13 on the list. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Pennsylvania

#14

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA

With a ranking of #14, Dickinson College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Carlisle, Dickinson is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#16

Harcum College

Bryn Mawr, PA

With a ranking of #16, Harcum College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Harcum College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bryn Mawr.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Harcum College accumulate an average of around $25,150 in student debt.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Harcum College

#17

American University

Washington, DC

American University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

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#18

New York University

New York, NY

New York University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at NYU take out is $23,000.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at New York University Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
19 Orange County Community College Middletown, NY
20 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
21 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
22 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
23 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
24 Stella and Charles Guttman Community College New York, NY
25 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration and social service schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 2,776
Pennsylvania 3,560
New York 10,504
Maryland 1,766
Delaware 443
District of Columbia 874

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 25 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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