College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools

474 Colleges in the United States
36,233 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,749 Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Administration & Social Service is about average in terms of popularity for bachelor's degrees programs. That is, it ranks #16 out of the 38 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 474 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for public administration & social service students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 36,233 bachelor's degrees in public administration & social service during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools The public administration & social service bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality public administration & social service program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor'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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’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 bachelor's degree in public administration & social service. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

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

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Annual Graduates

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in public administration & social service. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Chicago

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in public administration & social service has to look into Duke University. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Duke University

3
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Annual Graduates

Princeton University is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in public administration & social service. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Princeton University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in public administration & social service needs to check out Cornell University. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Cornell University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of California - Berkeley

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Northwestern University

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Pennsylvania

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Southern California

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Annual Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of California - Los Angeles

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

13
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Annual Graduates

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Brown University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Annual Graduates

Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waltham.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Brandeis University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Annual Graduates

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from The University of Texas at Austin

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Annual Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

17
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Utah

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
589 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Indiana University - Bloomington

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Maryland - College Park

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from University of Wisconsin - Madison

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
308 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Arizona State University - Tempe

22
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from New York University

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

24
Trinity Bantams crest
Trinity College
Hartford, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Hartford, Trinity Bantams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in public administration & social service from Trinity College

25
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Annual Graduates

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

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

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

33

34
35
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
36
37
38
39
40
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
41
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL

42

43
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
44
45
46
47
48
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
49
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
50

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 474 different United States public administration & social service schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
52 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
53 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
54 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
55 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
56 Florida International University Miami, FL
57 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
58 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
59 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
60 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
61 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
62 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN
63 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
64 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
65 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
66 University of Georgia Athens, GA
67 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
68 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
69 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
70 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
71 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Public Administration & Social Service students that almost earned our Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
72 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
73 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
74 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
75 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
76 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
77 Northeastern University Boston, MA
78 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
79 University of Delaware Newark, DE
80 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
81 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
82 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
83 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
84 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
85 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
86 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
87 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
88 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
89 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
90 Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN
90 Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN
92 Ball State University Muncie, IN
93 Anna Maria College Paxton, MA
94 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN

Public Administration & Social Service by Region

View the Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor'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

View All Rankings >

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Human Services 6,292
Public Administration 3,076
Public Policy 2,603
Community Organization & Advocacy 1,884
Other Public Administration 157

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 55,115

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options