2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Doctor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Doctor's 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Doctor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Pennsylvania to see which doctor's 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.
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 a Doctorate in Public & Social Service
Our 2023 rankings named West Chester University of Pennsylvania the best value school in Pennsylvania for public administration and social service students working on their doctor’s degree. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at WCUPA are $11,898 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WCUPA also is in the top 15% of our Best Public & Social Service Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Kutztown University are $11,440 a year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Report
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Out of the 8 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Millersville graduate students pay an average of $11,934 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 8 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
UPenn graduate students pay an average of $42,932 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UPenn also took the #2 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Pennsylvania Report
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Out of the 8 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Pitt are $25,248 a year.
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Widener University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree public administration and social service programs. Widener is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chester.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Widener are $25,416 per year.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Widener University
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With a ranking of #7, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their doctor’s degree. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Carnegie Mellon are $47,347 per year.
Carnegie Mellon also made our Best Public & Social Service Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, coming in at #1.
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Bryn Mawr College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Bryn Mawr is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bryn Mawr.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bryn Mawr are $48,328 per year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Bryn Mawr 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 8 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.