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2023 Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

276 Colleges
$10,919 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$52,728 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration Master's Degree 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 Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 276 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for public admin students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the public admin master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Public Administration

#1

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for public administration students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Columbia Southern University is a large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Orange Beach.

Columbia Southern University graduate students pay an average of $4,035 in tuition and fees each year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.

Minnesota State Mankato also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USD also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of South Dakota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Metropolitan State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Metro State are $10,237 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Metropolitan State University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BYU are $7,700 per year.

BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Public Administration at Brigham Young University - Provo

#6

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA

Anna Maria College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Anna Maria graduate students pay an average of $10,530 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration at Anna Maria College Report

American Public University System ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Military University are $7,050 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at American Public University System

#8

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

Hamline University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

Hamline graduate students pay an average of $10,402 in tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Park University

Parkville, MO

Park University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Park University are $6,435 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Park University

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

With a ranking of #10, Drake University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Drake are $11,988 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Drake also did well on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Public Administration at Drake University Report

#11

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA

Westfield State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Westfield are $6,696 per year.

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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at FDU are $10,722 a year.

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#12

Post University

Waterbury, CT

Post University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Post University is a large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Waterbury.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Post University are $7,700 per year.

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With a ranking of #14, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ASU - Skysong are $9,982 a year.

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Northern Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.

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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Madison.

FDU graduate students pay an average of $10,722 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Report

#17

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

With a ranking of #17, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Cloud State University are $13,412 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saint Cloud State University

#18

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

Seattle University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.

Seattle U graduate students pay an average of $14,310 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Seattle U also is in the top 10% of our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

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#19

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

San Jose State graduate students pay an average of $18,790 in tuition and fees each year.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Public Administration at San Jose State University Report

#19

Marywood University

Scranton, PA

Marywood University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Marywood graduate students pay an average of $11,438 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Marywood University

#21

Marist College

Poughkeepsie, NY

Marist College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. Located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie, Marist is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Marist are $15,760 a year.

Marist also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration programs. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#24

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO

Lindenwood University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Saint Charles, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Lindenwood University are $9,784 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Lindenwood University

California Baptist University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal Baptist are $14,320 a year.

Full Public Administration at California Baptist University Report

Rest of the Top Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools

#26

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE
#29

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ
#31

National University

La Jolla, CA
#32

Aurora University

Aurora, IL
#33

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
#34

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND
#37

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, MO
#38

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Public Administration graduate students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
42 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
43 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA
43 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
45 Clemson University Clemson, SC
46 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
47 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
48 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
49 University of La Verne La Verne, CA
50 Augusta University Augusta, GA
51 University of Delaware Newark, DE
52 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
53 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
54 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
54 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS

Public Administration by Region

View the Best Value Public Administration Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

  • 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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