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Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$17,735 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$63,791 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Policy Graduate Certificate School for You

Public Policy is the #61 most popular major in the country with 3,737 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in the Plains States Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for public policy students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public policy majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Best Plains States Region Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Public Policy

#1

Park University

Parkville, MO

Our 2023 rankings named Park University the best value school in the Plains States Region for public policy students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Policy at Park University Report

#2

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

Out of the 6 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Dakota landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UND are $18,968 a year.

Full Public Policy at University of North Dakota Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri State University - Springfield. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Missouri State are $12,618 a year.

Read full report on Public Policy at Missouri State University - Springfield

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UMN Twin Cities are $29,262 a year.

Full Public Policy at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public policy students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UMSL are $30,756 per year.

Full Public Policy at University of Missouri - St Louis Report

Best Public Policy Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 35
Minnesota 91
Iowa 1
Kansas 1
North Dakota 2

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

Majors Similar to Public Policy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 6 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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