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Best Schools for Public Administration in 2026

45 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Public Administration, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Public Administration graduate earns $49,353/yr across 45 schools.

Programs Ranked
45
Avg Earnings
$49,353/yr
Avg DW Score
64/100
AI Risk
High
51% task exposure

All Public Administration Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC · Public 		77
73–78 		$56,445/yr 32.8x
2 University of Phoenix-Arizona
Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit 		77
73–78 		$61,790/yr 16.9x
3 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA · Public 		74
71–74 		$76,049/yr 25.8x
4 California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public 		73
69–74 		$45,471/yr 22.2x
5 Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public 		73
69–73 		$46,047/yr 29.7x
6 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD · Public 		73
70–74 		$74,053/yr 22.2x
7 George Mason University
Fairfax, VA · Public 		73
69–74 		$56,674/yr 12.2x
8 Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, IN · Public 		72
69–73 		$47,013/yr 14.9x
9 Ashford University
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit 		72
69–73 		$65,503/yr 11.3x
10 Barry University
Miami, FL · Private nonprofit 		71
68–72 		$103,107/yr 4.4x
11 Florida International University
Miami, FL · Public 		71
67–72 		$46,281/yr 21.1x
12 Upper Iowa University
Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit 		71
67–72 		$61,104/yr 9.0x
13 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY · Public 		71
67–72 		$48,881/yr 18.3x
14 National University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit 		69
67–70 		$77,077/yr 13.5x
15 James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public 		69
66–70 		$48,396/yr 11.8x
16 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, WI · Public 		69
66–70 		$44,951/yr 17.0x
17 California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public 		66
66–67 		$36,626/yr 23.0x
18 Indiana University-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN · Public 		66
63–67 		$43,110/yr 13.6x
19 Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit 		66
63–67 		$73,129/yr 10.1x
20 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY · Public 		66
65–66 		$37,792/yr 20.4x
21 Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, OH · Public 		66
63–67 		$45,278/yr 9.4x
22 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public 		65
62–66 		$42,735/yr 38.8x
23 University of Hawaii-West Oahu
Kapolei, HI · Public 		65
62–66 		$42,481/yr 16.6x
24 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI · Public 		65
62–65 		$43,632/yr 13.5x
25 University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL · Public 		63
62–64 		$38,681/yr 20.1x
26 Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public 		63
61–64 		$41,650/yr 11.3x
27 Texas State University
San Marcos, TX · Public 		62
58–63 		$46,491/yr 10.4x
28 San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public 		61
59–62 		$41,020/yr 14.3x
29 Kean University
Union, NJ · Public 		61
58–62 		$45,850/yr 9.3x
30 CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NY · Public 		61
58–62 		$43,317/yr 13.7x
31 California Baptist University
Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit 		60
56–61 		$68,682/yr 3.3x
32 California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public 		60
60–61 		$36,969/yr 16.7x
33 University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA · Public 		60
59–61 		$38,877/yr 13.2x
34 Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL · Public 		59
58–60 		$38,521/yr 34.2x
35 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR · Public 		58
56–59 		$39,365/yr 8.7x
36 University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ · Public 		57
56–58 		$39,136/yr 9.5x
37 Flagler College
Saint Augustine, FL · Private nonprofit 		57
53–58 		$61,613/yr 3.6x
38 Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI · Public 		57
53–58 		$46,301/yr 7.2x
39 Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit 		57
53–58 		$53,912/yr 2.0x
40 The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX · Public 		57
56–57 		$38,358/yr 12.6x
41 Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN · Public 		55
56–56 		$34,780/yr 13.3x
42 The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, TX · Public 		54
54–55 		$36,328/yr 8.9x
43 Wayne State University
Detroit, MI · Public 		50
49–51 		$38,767/yr 5.8x
44 Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI · Public 		49
49–50 		$36,236/yr 7.6x
45 Rhode Island College
Providence, RI · Public 		44
45–45 		$32,409/yr 6.4x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Public Administration?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, Western Carolina University ranks #1 for Public Administration with a score of 77/100 and graduate earnings of $56,445/yr.
How much do Public Administration graduates earn?
Across 45 schools, Public Administration graduates earn an average of $49,353/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $103,107/yr.
Is Public Administration a good major for AI resistance?
Public Administration has an average AI task exposure of 51%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.