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Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges
$48,536 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, public administration and social service students earned 1,152 degrees and certificates from a Virginia school, making the subject the 9th in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Virginia to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia

Check out the public administration and social service master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Virginia. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Tech

#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at William & Mary Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.

Read More…

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.

Read More…

#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great place for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University Report

With a ranking of #6, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Commonwealth University

#7

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Radford is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Radford University Report

#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Old Dominion University

Norfolk State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Norfolk State is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Norfolk.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Norfolk State University

#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Regent University

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 244
Florida 1,526
North Carolina 1,324
Tennessee 853
Georgia 885
South Carolina 308
Louisiana 842
West Virginia 317
Kentucky 1,040
Arkansas 372
Alabama 1,018

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Related Major Annual Graduates
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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