2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Dakota
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You
With 143 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #20 most popular major in South Dakota.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
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 South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in South Dakota 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best South Dakota Schools for Affordable Quality in Public & Social Service
Our 2023 rankings named University of South Dakota the best value school in South Dakota for public administration and social service students. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USD are $9,432 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mitchell Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Dakota list. Mitchell Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Mitchell.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mitchell Tech are $7,524 per year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Mitchell Tech take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lake Area Technical Institute is a great value for public administration and social service students. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at LATI take out is $12,000.
LATI also took the #5 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Dakota rankings.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Sioux Falls. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Dakota list. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux Falls.
University of Sioux Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $19,900 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at University of Sioux Falls accumulate an average of around $29,790 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Black Hills State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in South Dakota. BHSU is a small public school located in the distant town of Spearfish.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BHSU are $8,916 a year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at BHSU take out an average of $31,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Black Hills State University Report
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 |
| Missouri | 1,624 |
| Nebraska | 490 |
| North Dakota | 321 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in South Dakota
Majors Related to 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 |
Majors Similar 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 5 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.