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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
78/100
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.

# Program DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 Public Administration
California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA 		93
87–95 		$76,049/yr High 25.8x
2 Public Administration
University of Maryland Global Campus · Adelphi, MD 		92
87–94 		$74,053/yr High 22.2x
3 Public Administration
Western Carolina University · Cullowhee, NC 		89
83–91 		$56,445/yr High 32.8x
4 Public Administration
National University · San Diego, CA 		89
85–89 		$77,077/yr High 13.5x
5 Public Administration
University of Phoenix-Arizona · Phoenix, AZ 		87
83–87 		$61,790/yr High 16.9x
6 Public Administration
Florida Atlantic University · Boca Raton, FL 		85
80–87 		$46,047/yr High 29.7x
7 Public Administration
California State University-Dominguez Hills · Carson, CA 		84
78–86 		$45,471/yr High 22.2x
8 Public Administration
Florida International University · Miami, FL 		84
78–86 		$46,281/yr High 21.1x
9 Public Administration
St Petersburg College · St. Petersburg, FL 		84
78–86 		$42,735/yr High 38.8x
10 Public Administration
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice · New York, NY 		84
79–85 		$48,881/yr High 18.3x
11 Public Administration
Southern New Hampshire University · Manchester, NH 		85
81–84 		$73,129/yr High 10.1x
12 Public Administration
Indian River State College · Fort Pierce, FL 		81
75–83 		$38,521/yr High 34.2x
13 Public Administration
Indiana University-Bloomington · Bloomington, IN 		80
72–83 		$47,013/yr High 14.9x
14 Public Administration
Ashford University · San Diego, CA 		85
81–85 		$65,503/yr High 11.3x
15 Public Administration
George Mason University · Fairfax, VA 		81
76–82 		$56,674/yr High 12.2x
16 Public Administration
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater · Whitewater, WI 		81
76–83 		$44,951/yr High 17.0x
17 Public Administration
University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL 		79
73–81 		$38,681/yr High 20.1x
18 Public Administration
University of Hawaii-West Oahu · Kapolei, HI 		80
75–81 		$42,481/yr High 16.6x
19 Public Administration
California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA 		77
70–81 		$36,626/yr High 23.0x
20 Public Administration
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · New York, NY 		77
70–81 		$37,792/yr High 20.4x
21 Public Administration
CUNY Medgar Evers College · Brooklyn, NY 		80
76–80 		$43,317/yr High 13.7x
22 Public Administration
James Madison University · Harrisonburg, VA 		77
71–80 		$48,396/yr High 11.8x
23 Public Administration
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse · La Crosse, WI 		78
73–79 		$43,632/yr High 13.5x
24 Public Administration
San Diego State University · San Diego, CA 		77
72–78 		$41,020/yr High 14.3x
25 Public Administration
Barry University · Miami, FL 		81
77–82 		$103,107/yr High 4.4x
26 Public Administration
Indiana University-Indianapolis · Indianapolis, IN 		77
71–79 		$43,110/yr High 13.6x
27 Public Administration
Upper Iowa University · Fayette, IA 		78
73–79 		$61,104/yr High 9.0x
28 Public Administration
California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA 		75
69–78 		$36,969/yr High 16.7x
29 Public Administration
Texas State University · San Marcos, TX 		77
73–76 		$46,491/yr High 10.4x
30 Public Administration
University of Northern Iowa · Cedar Falls, IA 		74
68–76 		$38,877/yr High 13.2x
31 Public Administration
Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH 		73
66–76 		$41,650/yr High 11.3x
32 Public Administration
California Baptist University · Riverside, CA 		74
69–75 		$68,682/yr High 3.3x
33 Public Administration
Kean University · Union, NJ 		74
70–75 		$45,850/yr High 9.3x
34 Public Administration
Miami University-Oxford · Oxford, OH 		72
65–76 		$45,278/yr High 9.4x
35 Public Administration
The University of Texas at San Antonio · San Antonio, TX 		74
68–74 		$38,358/yr High 12.6x
36 Public Administration
Flagler College · Saint Augustine, FL 		74
70–76 		$61,613/yr High 3.6x
37 Public Administration
Purdue University Fort Wayne · Fort Wayne, IN 		70
64–73 		$34,780/yr High 13.3x
38 Public Administration
Central Michigan University · Mount Pleasant, MI 		73
69–73 		$46,301/yr High 7.2x
39 Public Administration
University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ 		69
63–71 		$39,136/yr High 9.5x
40 Public Administration
University of Oregon · Eugene, OR 		68
62–71 		$39,365/yr High 8.7x
41 Public Administration
The University of Texas at Dallas · Richardson, TX 		66
59–69 		$36,328/yr High 8.9x
42 Public Administration
Syracuse University · Syracuse, NY 		67
61–68 		$53,912/yr High 2.0x
43 Public Administration
Grand Valley State University · Allendale, MI 		65
59–67 		$36,236/yr High 7.6x
44 Public Administration
Wayne State University · Detroit, MI 		67
62–68 		$38,767/yr High 5.8x
45 Public Administration
Rhode Island College · Providence, RI 		62
58–63 		$32,409/yr High 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, California State University-Northridge ranks #1 for Public Administration with a score of 93/100 and graduate earnings of $76,049/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.