2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You
Public Administration & Social Service is the #12 most popular major in Missouri with 1,624 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in Missouri 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 2023 rankings named Saint Louis Community College the best value school in Missouri for public administration and social service students. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Saint Louis Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saint Louis Community College are $5,295 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Saint Louis Community College take out is $14,128.
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The excellent programs at Missouri Western State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Missouri. Missouri Western is a small public school located in the city of Saint Joseph.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri Western are $7,930 a year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Missouri Western take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Missouri State University - Springfield helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Missouri. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
Missouri State undergraduate students pay an average of $8,294 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Missouri State carry an average student debtload of $27,745.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Mizzou are $11,475 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Mizzou take out is $22,343.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Mizzou is ranked #2 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Missouri.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri Southern State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. Missouri Southern is a small public school located in the small city of Joplin.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri Southern are $7,762 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Missouri Southern take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #6, Southeast Missouri State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cape Girardeau.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $8,715 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Southeast Missouri State University take out an average of $26,300 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Central Missouri 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. Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UCM undergraduate students pay an average of $9,078 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UCM carry an average student debtload of $30,050.
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Park University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri ranking. Park University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Parkville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Park University are $8,853 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Park University take out an average of $20,252 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Columbia College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. Columbia College Missouri is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia College Missouri are $11,636 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Columbia College Missouri carry an average student debtload of $34,955.
Columbia College Missouri also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri ranking. UMSL is a large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
UMSL undergraduate students pay an average of $12,015 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at UMSL take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Request InformationBest 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 |
| Iowa | 832 |
| South Dakota | 143 |
| Nebraska | 490 |
| North Dakota | 321 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Missouri
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 16 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.