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Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

39 Colleges
$14,216 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,536 Avg Salary

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.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 39 schools in the Plains States Region 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.

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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Minnesota State University - Mankato the best value school in the Plains States Region for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of South Dakota is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at USD are $12,768 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of South Dakota Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Winona State University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 a year.

Winona State also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Winona State University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Metropolitan State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Metro State are $10,237 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Metropolitan State University Report

#5

Newman University

Wichita, KS

Out of the 39 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Newman University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wichita.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Newman University are $8,484 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Newman University

Concordia University, Saint Paul came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Saint Paul are $8,550 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Concordia University, Saint Paul Report

#7

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

Hamline 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 #7 on the list. 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.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Hamline University

Fort Hays State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at FHSU are $11,376 per year.

Read More…

#9

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Drake University landed the #9 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 city of Des Moines.

Drake graduate students pay an average of $11,988 in tuition and fees each year.

Drake also made our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #4.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Drake University Report

#10

Park University

Parkville, MO

Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Park University

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration and social service colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 791
Minnesota 3,576
Iowa 832
South Dakota 143
Missouri 1,624
Nebraska 490
North Dakota 321

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 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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