2023 Best Public Administration Schools
Finding the Best Public Administration School for You
In 2020-2021, 13,571 people earned a degree or certificate in public administration, making the major the #23 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.
The Best Public Administration Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 279 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Public Administration Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Public Administration
Our analysis found Harvard University to be the best school for public administration students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Johns Hopkins University is a great place for public administration students. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Schools list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.
Full Public Administration at University of South Dakota Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Full Public Administration at University of Pennsylvania Report
Cornell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Georgetown University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Administration Schools ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
San Jose State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.
Villanova University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Administration Schools ranking. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #12 on the list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Southern California
University of San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #13 on the list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
Full Public Administration at University of San Francisco Report
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Full Public Administration at Columbia University in the City of New York Report
With a ranking of #15, Kansas State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public college with a very large student population.
Clemson University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a very large student population.
Read full report on Public Administration at Clemson University
New York University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Public Administration at New York University
George Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #18 on the list. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Read full report on Public Administration at George Washington University
American University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
With a ranking of #20, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration students. It came in at #21 on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Golden Gate University - San Francisco ranked #22 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Public Administration at Golden Gate University - San Francisco
With a ranking of #23, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
Full Public Administration at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
Metropolitan State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Public Administration Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Public Administration at Metropolitan State University Report
Boston University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Public Administration Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration students that almost earned our Best Public Administration Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 43 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 44 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 45 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 46 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 47 | Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, MI |
| 48 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 49 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 50 | California Baptist University | Riverside, CA |
| 51 | Alfred University | Alfred, NY |
| 52 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Denver, CO |
| 53 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 54 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 55 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus | Teaneck, NJ |
Public Administration by Region
View the Best Public Administration Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Public Administration Rankings
Public Administration Related Rankings by Major
Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 33,631 |
| Public Policy | 3,737 |
| Human Services | 1,277 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 741 |
| Other Public Administration | 295 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 The Official CTBTO Photostream.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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