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Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

6 Colleges
$13,482 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,536 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 832 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration and social service students who went to a Iowa college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

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 Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Iowa 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.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public & Social Service

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Our analysis found University of Northern Iowa to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Iowa. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UNI are $10,569 a year.

UNI also made our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #5.

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#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

Drake also made our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #1.

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

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#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Iowa are $12,065 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Iowa is ranked #4 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Iowa.

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#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

Out of the 6 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Ambrose University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

St. Ambrose University graduate students pay an average of $18,640 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Saint Ambrose University

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#5

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Clarke University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Clarke is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Clarke graduate students pay an average of $14,147 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Clarke University Report

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#6

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

UIU graduate students pay an average of $19,685 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 791
Minnesota 3,576
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

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 6 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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