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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$41,405 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,496 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best value 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 Schools in Massachusetts

Check out the public administration and social service programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA
$11,139 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Westfield State University the best value school in Massachusetts for public administration and social service students. Located in the suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Westfield are $11,139 a year.

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#2

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA

Out of the 14 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Anna Maria College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Anna Maria are $40,208 a year.

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$11,675 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Salem State is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Salem.

Salem State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,675 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Salem State University Report

#4

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA
$10,732 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Bridgewater State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bridgewater State are $10,732 per year.

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#5

Simmons University

Boston, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Simmons University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list. Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Simmons are $43,062 per year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Simmons University Report

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
$55,587 Average Tuition & Fees

Harvard University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Harvard are $55,587 a year.

Harvard also made our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list, coming in at #2.

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#7

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA
$61,706 Average Tuition & Fees

Boston College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Boston College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chestnut Hill.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Boston College are $61,706 a year.

Boston College also took the #5 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts rankings.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Boston College Report

$14,677 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service 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 undergraduate students pay an average of $14,677 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Smith College

Northampton, MA
$56,114 Average Tuition & Fees

Smith College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Northampton, Smith is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Smith are $56,114 per year.

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

#10

Boston University

Boston, MA
$59,816 Average Tuition & Fees

Boston University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Boston U are $59,816 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Boston U is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Massachusetts list.

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

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 14 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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