by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 114 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,440 doctor's degrees in public administration & social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The public administration & social service doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality public administration & social service program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public administration & social service students working on their doctor's degree.
The public administration & social service school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Doctor's Degree Schools.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in public administration & social service. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Harvard University
University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of California - Berkeley
University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of Chicago
Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Duke University
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Cornell University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from New York University
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Boston University
Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from George Washington University
Located in the midsize city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of Nevada - Las Vegas
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Washington University in St Louis
Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Kansas State University
Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from University of Maryland - College Park
Brandeis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Waltham.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Brandeis University
Located in the large city of New York, Yeshiva is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in public administration & social service from Yeshiva University
Learn about other programs related to Public Administration & Social Service that might interest you.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration & Social Service Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 19 | Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
| 20 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 21 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 22 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 23 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 24 | University of Massachusetts - Boston | Boston, MA |
| 25 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
View the Best Public Administration & Social Service Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 377 |
| Public Policy | 241 |
| Human Services | 82 |
| Other Public Administration | 37 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 23 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 326 |
.jpg){kind=link}