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Most Popular Public Administration Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Public Administration Schools in Illinois

14 Colleges
$51,622 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

In 2020-2021, 440 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #29 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Public Administration Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Administration program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Public Administration Colleges.

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the most popular school for public administration students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration at Northwestern University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Public Administration Schools in Illinois list. UIS is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

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The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in Illinois. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Public Administration at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means DePaul University is a great place for public administration students. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Full Public Administration at DePaul University Report

The excellent programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

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Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public administration students. It came in at #6 on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northern Illinois University

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public administration programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Public Administration at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

#8

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public administration programs. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

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#9

Governors State University

University Park, IL

With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration students. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Public Administration at Governors State University

With a ranking of #10, National Louis University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration students. NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Public Administration at National Louis University Report

Best Public Administration Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Public Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 263
Ohio 293
Indiana 449
Wisconsin 44

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

Majors Similar to Public Admin

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 14 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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