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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$19,462 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,729 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Missouri

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

#1

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO
$5,295 Average Tuition & Fees

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 school with a large student population.

Saint Louis Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,295 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Saint Louis Community College take out is $14,128.

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

$7,930 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

Missouri Western undergraduate students pay an average of $7,930 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Missouri Western take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

$8,294 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Missouri State University - Springfield is a great value for public administration and social service students. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri State are $8,294 per 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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$11,475 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the # 4 spot on the list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $11,475 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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$7,762 Average Tuition & Fees

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 city of Joplin.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri Southern are $7,762 a year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Missouri Southern take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Missouri Southern State University Report

$8,715 Average Tuition & Fees

Southeast Missouri State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cape Girardeau.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southeast Missouri State University are $8,715 a 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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$9,078 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Central Missouri came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCM are $9,078 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UCM carry an average student debtload of $30,050.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Central Missouri Report

#8

Park University

Parkville, MO
$8,853 Average Tuition & Fees

Park University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. Park University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Parkville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Park University are $8,853 a 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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#9

Columbia College

Columbia, MO
$11,636 Average Tuition & Fees

Columbia College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia College Missouri are $11,636 per year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Columbia College Missouri carry an average student debtload of $34,955.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Columbia College Missouri also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Missouri list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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$12,015 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. UMSL is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMSL are $12,015 a year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at UMSL take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Missouri - St Louis

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
Iowa 832
South Dakota 143
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 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.

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