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.
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2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public & Social Service
Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Columbia Southern University is a fairly 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.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Columbia Southern University
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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Minnesota State Mankato also is in the top 20% of our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
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.
USD also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of South Dakota Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the distant 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.
Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Spring Arbor 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 United States. Located in the 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.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Spring Arbor University
Metropolitan State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Metro State are $10,237 a year.
With a ranking of #7, Brigham Young University - Provo 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 midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BYU are $7,700 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU also is in the top 20% of our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Westfield State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Westfield are $6,696 a year.
Newman University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Wichita.
Newman University graduate students pay an average of $8,484 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Newman University Report
Anna Maria College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Anna Maria are $10,530 per year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Anna Maria College Report
With a ranking of #11, Ferris State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the town of Big Rapids.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Ferris are $8,232 per year.
Concordia University, Saint Paul ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Concordia University, Saint Paul graduate students pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Concordia University, Saint Paul
Youngstown State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Youngstown State University graduate students pay an average of $6,931 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Youngstown State University
American Public University System 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 #14 on the list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.
Hamline University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 a year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Hamline University Report
Fort Hays State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at FHSU are $11,376 a year.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
IWU graduate students pay an average of $10,440 in tuition and fees each year.
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.
Drake graduate students pay an average of $11,988 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Drake is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Drake University
Post 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 #19 on the list. Post University is a large private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Waterbury.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Post University are $7,700 a year.
Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a fairly large student population.
ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Arizona State University - Skysong Report
West Texas A&M University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at West Texas A&M University are $8,574 per year.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at West Texas A&M University Report
Park University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Park University are $6,435 per year.
With a ranking of #23, Northeastern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. NSU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Tahlequah.
NSU graduate students pay an average of $10,911 in tuition and fees each year.
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at FDU are $10,722 per year.
St Catherine University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Kate’s are $17,760 per year.
Rest of the Top Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college 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 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 60 | George Fox University | Newberg, OR |
| 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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