2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
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.
MWCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,668 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from MWCC carry an average student debtload of $7,010.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bristol Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Bristol is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Fall River.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bristol are $5,208 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Bristol take out is $7,150.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quinsigamond Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Quinsigamond Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize 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.
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Out of the 27 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Westfield State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Westfield is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Westfield.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Westfield are $11,139 per year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Westfield accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Anna Maria College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Massachusetts. 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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Salem State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Salem, Salem State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Salem State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,675 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Salem State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Bridgewater State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #7 on the list. Bridgewater State is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Bridgewater.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bridgewater State are $10,732 per 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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Fitchburg State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fitchburg State are $10,655 a 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.
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University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boston.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMass Boston are $14,677 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UMass Boston take out is $31,250.
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Cambridge College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Cambridge College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.
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Request InformationBest Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the New England Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges 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 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Massachusetts
Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors for Public Administration & Social Service
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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.