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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

10 Colleges
$9,936 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$44,321 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

With 1,766 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #12 most popular major in Maryland.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Maryland to see which 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.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

$7,704 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Maryland Global Campus to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Maryland. Located in the suburb of Adelphi, UMGC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UMGC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,704 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UMGC carry an average student debtload of $21,108.

UMGC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland list.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Maryland Global Campus

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#2

Salisbury University

Salisbury, MD
$10,188 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Salisbury University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland list. Salisbury is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Salisbury.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Salisbury are $10,188 per year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Salisbury take out $24,250 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $249.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Salisbury University Report

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#3

Towson University

Towson, MD
$10,464 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Towson undergraduate students pay an average of $10,464 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Towson take out an average of $21,517 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $273, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Towson University Report

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$8,562 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bowie State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland list. Located in the large suburb of Bowie, Bowie State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bowie State University are $8,562 per year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Bowie State University take out $30,750 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $102.

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$12,280 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - Baltimore County landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Baltimore, UMBC is a public college with a large student population.

UMBC undergraduate students pay an average of $12,280 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from UMBC take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$11,899 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMB are $11,899 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Maryland - Baltimore

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$10,955 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMCP are $10,955 per year.

UMCP did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland list.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Maryland - College Park

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#8

Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD
$8,008 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Morgan State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Morgan State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Morgan State undergraduate students pay an average of $8,008 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Morgan State take out an average of $33,625 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $331, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#9

University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD
$9,364 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Baltimore landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. UB is a small public school located in the large city of Baltimore.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UB are $9,364 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at UB take out an average of $39,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Baltimore

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#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
$58,720 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Johns Hopkins are $58,720 a year.

Johns Hopkins not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Maryland list.

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Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 2,776
Pennsylvania 3,560
New York 10,504
Delaware 443
District of Columbia 874

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 10 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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