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Most Popular Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

11 Colleges
$55,530 Avg Salary
$25,500 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Graduate Certificate School for You

With 2,154 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #15 most popular major in Virginia.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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 Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Virginia to see which graduate certificate 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for public administration and social service majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

#1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Virginia. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Women make up 31% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

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

#2

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great place for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

About 56% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 44% are male.

Read More…

The in-demand graduate certificate programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular public administration and social service schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

Women make up 47% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Virginia - Main Campus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond.

Of the 12 students majoring in public administration and social service at VCU, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means George Mason University is a great place for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

Women make up 50% of the public administration and social service majors at the school.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at George Mason University

#6

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate public administration and social service programs. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

About 50% of the students majoring in public administration and social service at the school are women while 50% are male.

Read More…

#7

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

With a ranking of #7, James Madison University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University Report

#7

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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

#7

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

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

#7

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA

Virginia State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate public administration and social service programs. Virginia State is a small public school located in the suburb of Petersburg.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia State University Report

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 2,840
West Virginia 504
South Carolina 708
Florida 4,199
Arkansas 683
Mississippi 752
Tennessee 1,564
Louisiana 1,118
Alabama 1,668
Kentucky 2,072
Georgia 1,475

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 11 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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