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

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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.

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

Check out the public administration and social service master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

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 school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNI are $10,569 per year.

UNI also took the #5 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.

Read More…

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Out of the 6 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Drake University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Drake are $11,988 per year.

Drake also took the #1 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Drake University Report

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Iowa are $12,065 a 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.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Iowa Report

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Ambrose University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Ambrose University are $18,640 per year.

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#5

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA

The excellent master’s degree programs at Clarke University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Dubuque, Clarke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Clarke are $14,147 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Clarke University Report

#6

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

With a ranking of #6, Upper Iowa 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 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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