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Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky

12 Colleges
$35,171 Avg Salary
$28,913 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

In 2020-2021, public administration and social service students earned 2,072 degrees and certificates from a Kentucky school, making the subject the 7th in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Kentucky to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Kentucky

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

Our analysis found Western Kentucky University to be the best school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Kentucky. Located in the small city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public college with a large student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at WKU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $220.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Western Kentucky University Report

#2

Brescia University

Owensboro, KY

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Brescia University is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Owensboro, Brescia University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Brescia University carry an average student debtload of $40,375.

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

#3

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Kentucky. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UK take out is $26,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $309, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Kentucky Report

#4

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Louisville. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at UofL accumulate an average of around $25,267 in student debt.

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

#5

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Out of the 12 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Kentucky University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at NKU take out an average of $28,112 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $169.

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

Eastern Kentucky University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky list. Eastern is a fairly large public school located in the town of Richmond.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Eastern accumulate an average of around $28,898 in student debt.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Eastern Kentucky University

#7

Spalding University

Louisville, KY

Spalding University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the large city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Spalding accumulate an average of around $32,200 in student debt.

Read More…

Murray State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the town of Murray, Murray State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from Murray State take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Murray State University

#9

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

University of the Cumberlands did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Cumberlands is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Williamsburg.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from Cumberlands take out $19,431 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#10

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, KY

Kentucky State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the distant town of Frankfort, KY State is a public school with a small student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Kentucky State University Report

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 2,840
West Virginia 504
Florida 4,199
Virginia 2,154
Arkansas 683
Mississippi 752
South Carolina 708
Louisiana 1,118
Alabama 1,668
Georgia 1,475
Tennessee 1,564

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 12 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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