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Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$15,532 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,305 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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

Best Pennsylvania Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Public & Social Service

Our 2023 rankings named Harrisburg Area Community College the best value school in Pennsylvania for public administration and social service students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

HACC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,295 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

Out of the 5 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Community College of Philadelphia landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Community College of Philadelphia are $8,688 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Community College of Philadelphia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the fringe town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Edinboro are $10,543 a year.

Edinboro also took the #4 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Report

#4

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Elizabethtown College is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Etown undergraduate students pay an average of $34,600 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Etown also made our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, coming in at #1.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Elizabethtown College Report

#5

Harcum College

Bryn Mawr, PA

Out of the 5 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Harcum College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Bryn Mawr, Harcum College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Harcum College are $26,600 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Harcum College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Harcum College Report

Best 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

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 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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