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Best Value Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$21,022 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$55,530 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Graduate Certificate School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, public administration and social service was ranked 6th in Pennsylvania. In fact, 2,116 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

The Best Value Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 6 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Administration & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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

Best Pennsylvania Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Public & Social Service

Our analysis found California University of Pennsylvania to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal U are $12,919 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at California University of Pennsylvania

Out of the 6 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the # 2 spot on the list. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

WCUPA graduate students pay an average of $11,898 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#3

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Villanova University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Villanova is ranked #4 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Pennsylvania.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Millersville graduate students pay an average of $11,934 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Pitt are $25,248 per year.

Read More…

#6

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

UPenn graduate students pay an average of $42,932 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UPenn did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Pennsylvania Report

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
New York 6,455
Maryland 1,050
New Jersey 1,665
District of Columbia 820
Delaware 160

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

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

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 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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