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Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania

82 Colleges
$41,444 Avg Salary
$29,664 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

In 2020-2021, 3,560 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration and social service students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #13 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 82 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular programs 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 .

Our 2023 rankings named University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus the most popular school in Pennsylvania for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Pitt carry an average student debt load of $24,833.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#2

Widener University

Chester, PA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Widener University is a great place for public administration and social service students. Widener is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chester.

After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Widener carry an average student debt load of $31,000.

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#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Out of the 82 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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

#4

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

The excellent programs at Temple University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Pennsylvania. Temple is a very large public school located in the city of Philadelphia.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Temple accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $319, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Temple University Report

The excellent programs at West Chester University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Pennsylvania. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the fringe town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Edinboro take out is $24,800.

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With a ranking of #7, Millersville University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at Millersville take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $248.

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#8

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

With a ranking of #8, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Kutztown University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $240, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

#10

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, PA

Lincoln University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Lincoln University, Lincoln is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Lincoln carry an average student debt load of $40,113. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $281, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Lincoln University Report

#11

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #11 on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Carnegie Mellon University

#12

Marywood University

Scranton, PA

With a ranking of #12, Marywood University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the small city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Marywood University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Public & Social Service students in the state of Pennsylvania that almost earned our Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Pennsylvania award.

Rank College Location
13 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA
14 California University of Pennsylvania California, PA
15 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA
15 Harcum College Bryn Mawr, PA

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 2,776
New York 10,504
Maryland 1,766
Delaware 443
District of Columbia 874

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 25 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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