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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$15,585 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,536 Avg Salary

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

Out of the majors we analyze each year, public administration and social service was ranked 4th in Tennessee. In fact, 853 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Colleges.

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

Our analysis found The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UT Chattanooga are $10,474 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

#2

Union University

Jackson, TN

Out of the 11 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Union University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Union are $11,666 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Union University Report

Out of the 11 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Middle Tennessee State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Middle Tennessee State University graduate students pay an average of $10,818 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Middle Tennessee State University Report

#4

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Southern Adventist University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Southern Adventist are $11,880 per year.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UT Knoxville are $13,380 per year.

UT Knoxville did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#6

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis 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 #6 on the list. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UofM are $10,908 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Memphis Report

East Tennessee State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. ETSU is a large public school located in the small city of Johnson City.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at ETSU are $10,736 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at East Tennessee State University Report

#8

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN

Tennessee State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Tennessee State University graduate students pay an average of $10,732 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Tennessee State University Report

#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

With a ranking of #9, Austin Peay State 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 Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Austin Peay State University are $9,841 per year.

Read More…

Strayer University - Tennessee landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the city of Memphis, Strayer University - Tennessee is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Strayer University - Tennessee are $15,135 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Strayer University - Tennessee

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 244
Florida 1,526
Virginia 1,152
North Carolina 1,324
Georgia 885
West Virginia 317
Louisiana 842
South Carolina 308
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 11 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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