2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

If you plan on getting your master's degree in public administration & social service, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #5 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 286 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 51,655 master's degrees in public administration & social service during the <nil> academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Public Administration & Social Service School for Your Master's Degree

Your choice of public administration & social service for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to public administration & social service students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of public administration & social service students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt public administration & social service students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized public administration & social service related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public administration & social service students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration & Social Service Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Public Administration & Social Service in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in public administration & social service. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Public Administration & Social Service

1

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

990 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in public administration & social service. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Southern California

2

New York University
New York, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

776 Annual Graduates

New York University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from New York University

3

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

187 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a master's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Chicago

4

Duke University
Durham, NC

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

143 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in public administration & social service has to check out Duke University. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Duke University

5

University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

234 Annual Graduates

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of California - Berkeley

6

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

97 Annual Graduates

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Northwestern University

7

Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

656 Annual Graduates

Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the city of New Brunswick.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

8

Fordham University
Bronx, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

911 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Fordham University

9

Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

266 Annual Graduates

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Syracuse University

10

University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

341 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

11

Simmons University
Boston, MA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

569 Annual Graduates

Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Simmons University

12

Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

442 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Loyola University Chicago

13

Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, IN

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

233 Annual Graduates

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Bloomington

14

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

100 Annual Graduates

Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Princeton.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Princeton University

15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

532 Annual Graduates

U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

565 Annual Graduates

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Ohio State University - Main Campus

17

Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, NJ

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

106 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Newark, Rutgers Newark is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Rutgers University - Newark

18

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

197 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

19

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

135 Annual Graduates

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Cornell University

20

The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

267 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from The University of Texas at Austin

21

Baruch College
New York, NY

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

167 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of New York, Baruch is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Baruch College

22

University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

99 Annual Graduates

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Maryland - College Park

23

Catholic University of America
Washington, DC

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

62 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Catholic University of America

24

Aurora University
Aurora, IL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

603 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from Aurora University

25

University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

163 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rest of the Top Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

26

Arizona State University - Tempe
Tempe, AZ

27

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

28

University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT

29

Brandeis University
Waltham, MA

30

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

31

Hunter College
New York, NY

32

Brown University
Providence, RI

33

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

34

University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS

35

University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY

36

Adelphi University
Garden City, NY

37

The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX

38

University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

39

California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA

40

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA

41

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

42

University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO

43

California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA

44

San Diego State University
San Diego, CA

45

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, TN

46

Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY

47

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA

48

Florida International University
Miami, FL

49

Anna Maria College
Paxton, MA

50

University at Albany
Albany, NY

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 286 different United States public administration & social service schools we analyzed.

Rank	College	Location
51	University of Georgia	Athens, GA
52	John Jay College of Criminal Justice	New York, NY
53	University of Oklahoma Norman Campus	Norman, OK
54	University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, IL
55	Wayne State University	Detroit, MI
56	Montclair State University	Montclair, NJ
57	Vanderbilt University	Nashville, TN

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank	College	Location
58	National University	San Diego, CA
59	Portland State University	Portland, OR
60	Widener University	Chester, PA
61	Rhode Island College	Providence, RI
62	University of South Carolina - Columbia	Columbia, SC
63	Salisbury University	Salisbury, MD
64	California State University - San Bernardino	San Bernardino, CA
65	Baylor University	Waco, TX
66	University of Louisville	Louisville, KY
67	University of Central Florida	Orlando, FL
68	Marist College	Poughkeepsie, NY
69	Temple University	Philadelphia, PA
70	Eastern Washington University	Cheney, WA
71	California Baptist University	Riverside, CA
72	Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global	Marion, IN
73	Liberty University	Lynchburg, VA
74	Central Michigan University	Mount Pleasant, MI
75	Northeastern University	Boston, MA
76	Colorado State University - Fort Collins	Fort Collins, CO
77	Monmouth University	West Long Branch, NJ
78	University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee	Milwaukee, WI
79	California State University - Los Angeles	Los Angeles, CA
80	Azusa Pacific University	Azusa, CA
81	California State University - Fullerton	Fullerton, CA
82	Florida State University	Tallahassee, FL
83	Our Lady of the Lake University	San Antonio, TX
84	Boise State University	Boise, ID
85	University of Nevada - Reno	Reno, NV
86	California State University - Sacramento	Sacramento, CA
87	University of Oregon	Eugene, OR
88	University of Nevada - Las Vegas	Las Vegas, NV
89	Lehman College	Bronx, NY
90	University of New Hampshire - Main Campus	Durham, NH
91	Saint Louis University	Saint Louis, MO
92	The University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa, AL
93	North Carolina State University	Raleigh, NC
94	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	Denver, CO
95	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Honolulu, HI

Public Administration & Social Service by Region

View the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Public Administration	11,984
Public Policy	3,391
Human Services	873
Community Organization & Advocacy	478
Other Public Administration	222

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies	9,816

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.