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Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$13,692 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,305 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree 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. 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 Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Great Lakes Region . IWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Marion.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at IWU are $9,239 a year.

IWU also made our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Central Ohio Technical College is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their associate degree. COTC is a small public school located in the small suburb of Newark.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COTC are $7,656 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Central Ohio Technical College Report

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#3

Stark State College

North Canton, OH

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stark State College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Stark State College is a large public school located in the large suburb of North Canton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Stark State College are $7,406 a year.

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#4

Ohio Christian University

Circleville, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ohio Christian University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Circleville, OCU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

OCU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,395 in tuition and fees each year.

OCU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Ohio Christian University

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#5

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

The excellent associate degree programs at Youngstown State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in the Great Lakes Region . Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Youngstown State University Report

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#6

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI

Ferris State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year.

Ferris also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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Rasmussen University - Wisconsin came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Green Bay, Rasmussen University - Wisconsin is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rasmussen University - Wisconsin are $12,860 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rasmussen University - Wisconsin also is in the top 10% of our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Rasmussen University - Wisconsin Report

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Grace Christian University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the suburb of Wyoming, Grace is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grace are $15,000 per year.

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#9

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

Purdue University Global ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Purdue University Global undergraduate students pay an average of $14,436 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Purdue University Global also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Purdue University Global Report

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Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is a very large public school located in the town of Athens.

OHIO Athens undergraduate students pay an average of $22,810 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Ohio University - Athens Campus Report

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Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration and social service colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 3,206
Michigan 3,411
Ohio 3,030
Illinois 3,948
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 14 schools only.

  • 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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