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Best Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges
$41,798 Avg Salary
$27,601 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service 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 Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named Virginia Tech the best school in Virginia for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Tech Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means William & Mary is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at William & Mary Report

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at George Mason University Report

#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University

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

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

#7

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

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#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

With a ranking of #8, Old Dominion University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Old Dominion University Report

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

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#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

With a ranking of #10, Regent University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

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Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools 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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