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Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

24 Colleges
$51,943 Avg Salary
$34,585 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public administration was ranked #23 in the country. In fact 13,571 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for public admin majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Public Administration Schools

#1

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

Our 2023 rankings named University of South Dakota the best school in the Plains States Region for public administration students. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of South Dakota

The excellent programs at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

#3

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Kansas State University is a great place for public administration students. K -State is a very large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.

Read full report on Public Administration at Kansas State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.

Full Public Administration at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Metropolitan State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list. Metro State is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Full Public Administration at Metropolitan State University Report

#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of North Dakota

#7

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Drake University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration programs. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.

Full Public Administration at University of Missouri - Columbia Report

#9

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

With a ranking of #9, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Saint Cloud.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saint Cloud State University

#10

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

With a ranking of #10, Hamline University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration students. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Hamline is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Public Administration at Hamline University Report

Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 314
Minnesota 496
Iowa 64
Kansas 130
Nebraska 108
North Dakota 15
South Dakota 37

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 24 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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