2024 Best Public Administration Master's Degree Schools
Public Administration is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 257 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public administration students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12,290 master's degrees in public administration to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Public Administration School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of public administration for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality public admin program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to public administration students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other public administration students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for public administration to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized public administration related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for public administration students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The public admin 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 Master's Degree Schools.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration in the United States
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Master's in Public Admin
It's hard to beat Harvard University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from Harvard University earn a boost of approximately $48,243 above the average income of public administration graduates.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Harvard University
Northwestern University is a good option for students interested in a master's degree in public administration. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Northwestern University earn $13,283 more than the average public admin graduate.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Northwestern University
New York University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from New York University receive an earnings boost of around $23,288 above the typical earnings of public administration graduates.
More information about a master’s in public administration from New York University
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $21,473 more than the standard public admin graduate.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Public Administration master's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of approximately $20,857 above the typical earnings of public administration majors.
More information about a master’s in public administration from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those public administration students who get their master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $8,001 more than the typical public admin graduate.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Carnegie Mellon University
GMU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
Master's recipients from the public administration program at George Mason University get $13,754 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in public administration from George Mason University
Located in the large city of Newark, Rutgers Newark is a public university with a large student population.
After graduating, public admin master's recipients typically make about $52,549 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Rutgers University - Newark
Located in the large city of New York, Baruch is a public college with a large student population.
Master's recipients from the public administration major at Baruch College make $12,108 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Baruch College
Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduating, public admin master's recipients typically earn around $53,305 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in public administration from Texas A&M University - College Station
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