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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

27 Colleges
$31,308 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,496 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Public Administration & Social Service is one of the most popular subjects to study in Massachusetts. With 3,668 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 27 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best value programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

Our analysis found Mount Wachusett Community College to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Massachusetts. MWCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Gardner.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MWCC are $5,668 per year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from MWCC carry an average student debtload of $7,010.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Mount Wachusett Community College Report

#2

Bristol Community College

Fall River, MA
$5,208 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Bristol Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Massachusetts. Bristol is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Fall River.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bristol are $5,208 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Bristol take out is $7,150.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Bristol Community College

$5,830 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 27 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Quinsigamond Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Quinsigamond Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Quinsigamond Community College are $5,830 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Quinsigamond Community College take out is $20,131.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Quinsigamond Community College

#4

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA
$11,139 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Westfield State University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Westfield is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Westfield.

Westfield undergraduate students pay an average of $11,139 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Westfield accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Westfield State University Report

#5

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA
$40,208 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 27 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Anna Maria College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Anna Maria is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Paxton.

Anna Maria undergraduate students pay an average of $40,208 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Anna Maria accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt.

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$11,675 Average Tuition & Fees

Salem State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the suburb of Salem, Salem State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Salem State are $11,675 a year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Salem State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Salem State University Report

#7

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA
$10,732 Average Tuition & Fees

Bridgewater State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Bridgewater State is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Bridgewater.

Bridgewater State undergraduate students pay an average of $10,732 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Bridgewater State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#8

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA
$10,655 Average Tuition & Fees

Fitchburg State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Fitchburg State undergraduate students pay an average of $10,655 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Fitchburg State accumulate an average of around $25,598 in student debt.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Fitchburg State University

$14,677 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMass Boston are $14,677 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UMass Boston take out is $31,250.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Massachusetts - Boston Report

#10

Cambridge College

Boston, MA
$16,442 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Cambridge College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Cambridge College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cambridge College are $16,442 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Cambridge College take out an average of $31,626 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the New England Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 749
Maine 480
Rhode Island 426
Connecticut 1,271
Vermont 233

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 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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