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2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools

903 Colleges
$33,749 Avg Salary
$29,352 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree School for You

Public Administration & Social Service is the #14 most popular major in the country with 98,583 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 903 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Administration & Social Service program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

#1

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Our 2023 rankings named Grand Canyon University the most popular school in the United States for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.

Of the 1,492 students majoring in public administration and social service at Grand Canyon University, 15% are male and 85% are female.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Grand Canyon University Report

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Phoenix - Arizona helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular public administration and social service schools in the United States. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.

Women make up 88% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report

Out of the 903 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the # 3 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

About 37% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 63% are male.

Read More…

#4

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, NY

Out of the 903 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Empire State College landed the # 4 spot on the list. SUNY Empire is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs.

About 72% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 28% are male.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at SUNY Empire State College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern New Hampshire University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Manchester.

Women make up 89% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Southern New Hampshire University

California State University - Fullerton landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 329 students majoring in public administration and social service at Cal State Fullerton, 19% are male and 81% are female.

Read More…

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 308 students majoring in public administration and social service at ASU - Tempe, 24% are male and 76% are female.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 91% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at The University of Texas at Arlington Report

With a ranking of #9, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 280 students majoring in public administration and social service at Ohio State, 23% are male and 77% are female.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 81% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 19% are male.

Read More…

#11

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL

Florida Atlantic University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 237 students majoring in public administration and social service at FAU, 26% are male and 74% are female.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Florida Atlantic University

#12

Troy University

Troy, AL

Troy University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. TROY is a large public school located in the remote town of Troy.

About 86% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 14% are male.

Read More…

#13

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration and social service students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.

Of the 231 students majoring in public administration and social service at Central Michigan, 23% are male and 77% are female.

Read More…

#14

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

With a ranking of #14, Purdue University Global did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Purdue University Global is a very large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.

Of the 221 students majoring in public administration and social service at Purdue University Global, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Read More…

#15

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Of the 213 students majoring in public administration and social service at Liberty University, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Liberty University

Fresno Pacific University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fresno.

About 85% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 15% are male.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Fresno Pacific University Report

California State University - Sacramento ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Of the 210 students majoring in public administration and social service at Sac State, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at California State University - Sacramento

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public administration and social service students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

Women make up 69% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read More…

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

About 88% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 12% are male.

Read More…

With a ranking of #20, Florida International University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.

About 73% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 27% are male.

Read More…

#21

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Women make up 56% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Duke University

University of Central Florida landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. UCF is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Orlando.

Women make up 76% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Central Florida

#23

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI

Eastern Michigan University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.

Of the 187 students majoring in public administration and social service at Eastern Michigan, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 186 students majoring in public administration and social service at UNC Chapel Hill, 31% are male and 69% are female.

Read More…

Rutgers University - Newark ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Rutgers Newark is a fairly large public school located in the city of Newark.

Women make up 85% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Rutgers University - Newark Report

#27

Lindsey Wilson College

Columbia, KY
#28

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL
#32

Aurora University

Aurora, IL
#34

University of Oregon

Eugene, OR
#36

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX
#39

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI
#40

Lehman College

Bronx, NY
#42

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY
#43

Columbia College

Columbia, MO
#44

University of Mississippi

University, MS
#45

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
#46

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT
#49

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN
#50

Salisbury University

Salisbury, MD
#50

Towson University

Towson, MD

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 903 different United States public administration and social service schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Springfield College - School of Professional and Continuing Studies Springfield, MA
53 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
54 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
54 Portland State University Portland, OR
56 New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY
56 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
58 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
58 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
60 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
61 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
61 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
63 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
64 Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA
65 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
65 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
67 Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY
67 University of Delaware Newark, DE
69 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
69 Keuka College Keuka Park, NY
71 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
71 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
73 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
74 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
75 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
76 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
76 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
76 Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
79 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
79 Colorado State University - Global Campus Greenwood Village, CO
81 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
82 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
82 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
84 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
85 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
86 Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI
87 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
88 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
89 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
89 Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
91 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
91 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
93 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
93 Monroe College Bronx, NY
95 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
96 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
96 Winona State University Winona, MN
98 Post University Waterbury, CT
99 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
99 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
101 Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, MI
101 Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL
103 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
103 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
103 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
106 Metropolitan College of New York New York, NY
107 University of North Texas Denton, TX
108 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
108 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
108 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
111 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
111 Minot State University Minot, ND
111 Utah State University Logan, UT
114 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
114 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
114 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
117 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
117 University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC
119 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
119 Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
119 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
119 Rasmussen University - Florida Ocala, FL
123 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
123 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
125 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
125 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
125 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
125 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
125 Buffalo State Buffalo, NY
130 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
130 Barry University Miami, FL
132 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
132 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
132 Weber State University Ogden, UT
135 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
135 Brown University Providence, RI
135 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
135 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Public & Social Service students that almost earned our Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
139 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
139 York College Jamaica, NY
139 University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY
139 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
143 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
143 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
143 Lincoln University Lincoln University, PA
143 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
143 Ball State University Muncie, IN
148 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
148 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
148 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
148 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
148 Universidad del Este Carolina, PR
148 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
154 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
154 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
154 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
154 Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX
154 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
154 Humboldt State University Arcata, CA
160 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
160 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
160 Elms College Chicopee, MA
160 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
164 Siena College Loudonville, NY
164 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA
164 Boise State University Boise, ID
164 Jackson State University Jackson, MS
168 University of North Alabama Florence, AL
168 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
168 Limestone College Gaffney, SC
168 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
168 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
173 North Carolina Central University Durham, NC
173 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
173 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
173 Illinois State University Normal, IL
173 Universidad Metropolitana San Juan, PR
178 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
178 Universidad del Turabo Gurabo, PR
178 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
178 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
178 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK

Public Administration & Social Service by Region

View the Most Popular Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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 26 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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