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Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

18 Colleges
$31,720 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$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 2,705 degrees and certificates from a Massachusetts school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Massachusetts to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service 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 Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public administration and social service majors pursuing a master's degree.

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

#1

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA

Our analysis found Westfield State University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Massachusetts. Located in the large suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Westfield are $6,696 a year.

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

#2

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Anna Maria College is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Anna Maria are $10,530 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Anna Maria College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Salem State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Salem State is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Salem.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Salem State are $8,857 a year.

Read More…

#4

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA

The excellent master’s degree programs at Bridgewater State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Massachusetts. Located in the suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bridgewater State are $11,397 per year.

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

#5

Simmons University

Boston, MA

Out of the 18 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Simmons University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Simmons are $21,546 per year.

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

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #6, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Harvard are $52,170 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Harvard is ranked #2 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Massachusetts.

Read More…

#7

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College 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 #7 on the list. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Boston College are $32,722 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Boston College is ranked #5 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Massachusetts.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Boston College

University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the large city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UMass Boston graduate students pay an average of $18,938 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Northeastern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Northeastern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Northeastern are $26,095 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Northeastern also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Northeastern University Report

University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UMass Amherst are $16,251 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the New England Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Rhode Island 190
Connecticut 684
New Hampshire 143
Maine 292
Vermont 84

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 18 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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