2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 3,560 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration and social service students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #13 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
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 Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 5 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best Pennsylvania Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Public & Social Service
Our analysis found Harrisburg Area Community College to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a associate degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HACC are $8,295 a year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Harrisburg Area Community College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at Community College of Philadelphia helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Community College of Philadelphia are $8,688 per year.
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Out of the 5 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the fringe town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public school with a small student population.
Edinboro undergraduate students pay an average of $10,543 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Edinboro did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
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Out of the 5 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Elizabethtown College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Etown are $34,600 a year.
Etown also took the #1 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Harcum College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Bryn Mawr, Harcum College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harcum College are $26,600 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Harcum College also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Harcum College Report
Request InformationBest Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 2,776 |
| New York | 10,504 |
| Maryland | 1,766 |
| Delaware | 443 |
| District of Columbia | 874 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Pennsylvania
Majors Related to Public Administration & Social Service
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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