2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree School for You
Public Administration & Social Service is the #14 most popular major in the country with 98,583 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
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 Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 446 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's 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.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public & Social Service
Our 2023 rankings named Columbia Southern University the best value school in the United States for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Columbia Southern University is a large private for-profit school located in the town of Orange Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Columbia Southern University are $4,035 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in the United States. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USD also is in the top 20% of our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Winona State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in the United States. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Winona State graduate students pay an average of $12,836 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Winona State also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 446 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Spring Arbor University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Spring Arbor, Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Spring Arbor graduate students pay an average of $8,383 in tuition and fees each year.
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Metropolitan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Metro State graduate students pay an average of $10,237 in tuition and fees each year.
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Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
BYU graduate students pay an average of $7,700 in tuition and fees each year.
BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Brigham Young University - Provo
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Westfield State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Westfield graduate students pay an average of $6,696 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, Newman University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Wichita.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Newman University are $8,484 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, Anna Maria College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Anna Maria are $10,530 per year.
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Ferris State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Ferris are $8,232 a year.
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Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Concordia University, Saint Paul graduate students pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees each year.
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Youngstown State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a large student population.
Youngstown State University graduate students pay an average of $6,931 in tuition and fees each year.
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American Public University System came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.
American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.
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Hamline University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Hamline graduate students pay an average of $10,402 in tuition and fees each year.
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Fort Hays State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at FHSU are $11,376 per year.
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Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
IWU graduate students pay an average of $10,440 in tuition and fees each year.
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Drake University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Drake are $11,988 a year.
Drake excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Post University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Post University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Waterbury.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Post University are $7,700 per year.
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With a ranking of #20, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ASU - Skysong are $9,982 a year.
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With a ranking of #21, West Texas A&M University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
West Texas A&M University graduate students pay an average of $8,574 in tuition and fees each year.
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Park University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Park University are $6,435 per year.
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Northeastern State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. NSU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Tahlequah.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NSU are $10,911 a year.
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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at FDU are $10,722 per year.
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St Catherine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Kate’s are $17,760 per year.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 446 different United States public administration and social service schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 52 | Alvernia University | Reading, PA |
| 52 | California State University - Monterey Bay | Seaside, CA |
| 54 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE |
| 55 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 56 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 57 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ |
| 58 | Golden Gate University - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 59 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
| 60 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 60 | George Fox University | Newberg, OR |
| 60 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 63 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 63 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 65 | California State University - Stanislaus | Turlock, CA |
| 66 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools award.
Public Administration & Social Service by Region
View the Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings
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 Majors Related 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 25 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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