2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree School for You
With 2,154 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #15 most popular major in Virginia.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Virginia to see which master'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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found James Madison University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
JMU graduate students pay an average of $12,514 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
JMU not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech graduate students pay an average of $16,522 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Virginia Tech is ranked #2 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Virginia.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.
William & Mary graduate students pay an average of $16,618 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, William & Mary is ranked #3 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Virginia.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Radford are $12,535 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at GMU are $16,644 per year.
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Virginia Commonwealth 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 #6 on the list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.
VCU graduate students pay an average of $15,518 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at University of Virginia are $20,906 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Virginia.
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Liberty 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 #8 on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.
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Norfolk State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Norfolk State are $12,690 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, Old Dominion University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Old Dominion are $13,224 per year.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Old Dominion University
Request InformationBest Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 2,840 |
| West Virginia | 504 |
| Mississippi | 752 |
| South Carolina | 708 |
| Florida | 4,199 |
| Arkansas | 683 |
| Alabama | 1,668 |
| Kentucky | 2,072 |
| Georgia | 1,475 |
| Tennessee | 1,564 |
| Louisiana | 1,118 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Virginia
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 |
Majors Similar 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 12 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.