2020 Most Affordable Online Master's in Public Administration Programs
Our list of the most affordable online master's in public administration (MPA) programs features a variety of options for distance learners. Ranked #1, Strayer University's Master of Public Administration has the lowest annual tuition rate at $4,480. Students interested in tailoring their education to a specific area may be interested in the #10th ranked Master of Public Administration from American Public University System. With an annual tuition of $6,300, this program offers several concentrations in an areas such as Coaching and Conflict Resolution, Human Resources, National Security, and Environmental Policy.
You can read more about our ranked schools below or browse our rankings of the most affordable online master's programs. View our methodology or learn more about OnlineU.
All tuition numbers were manually collected and verified
| Rank | School | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Strayer University | $4,480 | |
| Fort Hays State University | $4,604 | |
| Valdosta State University | $5,274 | |
| Columbus State University | $5,418 | |
| University of North Georgia | $5,454 | |
| Columbia Southern University | $5,670 | |
| Adams State University | $5,925 | |
| Wichita State University | $6,038 | |
| Georgia College & State University | $6,084 | |
| American Public University System | $6,300 | |
| The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | $6,484 | |
| University of Missouri | $6,562 | |
| Southeast Missouri State University | $6,570 | |
| University of South Dakota | $6,987 | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | $7,272 | |
| Southern Utah University | $7,292 | |
| Texas Tech University | $7,413 | |
| Lamar University | $7,444 | |
| University of Louisiana-Monroe | $7,500 | |
| University of North Dakota | $7,599 | |
| Arkansas State University | $7,608 | |
| Southern Arkansas University | $7,920 | |
| University of Illinois at Springfield | $8,154 | |
| Wayland Baptist University | $8,784 | |
| Troy University | $8,892 |
- Annual Tuition: $4,480
- School Type: For-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 10,929
- Example Classes: Constitutional and Administrative Law; Leadership and Conflict Resolution; Modern Public Administration: Managing Public and Nonprofit Organizations; Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation; Public Budgeting and Finance; Public Personnel Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Business Administration in Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $4,604
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,743
- Example Classes: Administrative Process; Policy Analysis; Public Budgeting; Public Personnel Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Liberal Studies - Political Leadership and Public Service
- Master of Liberal Studies - Political Science
- Master of Liberal Studies - Public Administration
- Master of Professional Studies - Political Management
- Master of Professional Studies - Public Health Administration
- Annual Tuition: $5,274
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,511
- Example Classes: Governmental Budgeting and Finance; Human Resource Management; Information Management; Organizational Theory and Behavior; Performance Analysis
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Public Policy
- Master of Public Administration - Public Sector Human Resource Management
- Master of Public Administration - Public Sector Management
- Annual Tuition: $5,418
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,436
- Example Classes: Legal and Ethical Environment of Administration; Policy Analysis; Public Budgeting/Financial Administraion; Public Personnel Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration in Public Administration - Criminal Justice
- Master of Public Administration in Public Administration - Government Administration
- Annual Tuition: $5,454
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 681
- Example Classes: Military Policy and Administration; Perspectives on Military Leadership; The Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration in Diversity
- Master of Public Administration in Military Leadership
- Master of Public Administration in Public Affairs
- Annual Tuition: $5,670
- School Type: For-Profit
- School Accreditation: DEAC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 5,859
- Example Classes: Administration of Public Institutions; Local Government Planning; Public Administration Ethics; Public Policy; Quantitative Research Methods
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration-Criminal Justice Administration
- Master of Public Administration-General
- M.S. Emergency Services Management
- M.S. Occupational Safety and Health
- M.S. Occupational Safety and Health-Environmental Management
- Master of Business Administration-Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $5,925
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,113
- Example Classes: Planning in the Real World; Public, Law, Policy & Regulatory Environment; Research Methods & Data Analysis
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Arts in Humanities - Public Administration
- Master of Business Administration - Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $6,038
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,772
- Example Classes: Public and Nonprofit Governance; Public Sector Organizational Theory and Behavior; Quantitative Methods for Public Sector Professionals
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $6,084
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,031
- Example Classes: Leadership and Organizational Behavior; Public Administration and Public Service; Public Finance and Budgeting; Public Personnel Management; Public Policy Analysis; Quantitative Techniques in Public Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $6,300
- School Type: For-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,342
- Example Classes: Administrative Theory; Cross-Cultural Management; Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Law; Human Resource Policy; Public Health in America
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Arts in Management - Public Administration
- Master of Arts in Political Science - Comparative Government and Development
- Master of Arts in Political Science - Public Policy
- Master of Arts in Security Management
- Master of Business Administration - Government Contracting and Acquisition
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $6,484
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,090
- Example Classes: Analytical Techniques; Leadership and Public Policy; Organizational Leadership and Administration; Public Budgeting; Public Leadership and Ethics; Public Personnel Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $6,562
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 7,359
- Example Classes: Collaborative Governance; Economic Analysis for Public Policy; Ethics, Democracy and the Public Service; Organizational Dynamics and Leadership; Public Policy Processes and Strategies; Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs; Strategic Management of the Public Service Organizations; The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Affairs
- Master of Public Health in Health Promotion & Policy
- Master of Public Health in Veterinary Public Health
- Annual Tuition: $6,570
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,030
- Example Classes: Behavioral Statistics; Federalism, State and Local Government; Government/Not-for-Profit Accounting; Organizations as Open Systems; Public and Non-profit Budgeting; Public Policy
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration (Non-Thesis)
- Master of Public Administration (Thesis)
- Annual Tuition: $6,987
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,476
- Example Classes: Administrative Law and Government; Budgetary & Fiscal Management; Executive Public Administration; Facilitation and Conflict Management; Organization and Management; Public Personnel Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Executive Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $7,272
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,746
- Example Classes: Applied Methods for Public Administration; Policy Systems and Evaluation; Public Administration Methods; Public Budgeting and Financial Management; Public Personnel Administration; Survey of Public Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Arts in National Security
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $7,292
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: NWCCU
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 925
- Example Classes: Administrative Law; Critical Thinking and Ethics in the Public Sector; Public Human Resource Management; Public Policy Analysis; Public Sector Economics; Research Methods for Public Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Criminal Justice
- Master of Public Administration - Higher Education Administration
- Master of Public Administration - State and Local Government
- Annual Tuition: $7,413
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 6,252
- Example Classes: Administrative Ethics and Leadership; City Management; Planning and Management of Weather and Climate Risks; The Science and Policy of Climate Change
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Environmental Policy and Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Healthcare Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Nonprofit Management
- Master of Public Administration - Public Management
#18 Lamar University
- Annual Tuition: $7,444
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 5,879
- Example Classes: Constitutional Law for Public Administration; Disaster Policy; Ethics and Morality in Public Administration; Leadership in Public Administration and Non-profits; Public Organization; Public Policy
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $7,500
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,503
- Example Classes: Ethnic and Cultural Variations in Service Delivery; Managing School and District Resources; Nonprofit Management; Research and Presentation Skills; School Community Relations; Sociology of Law
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Annual Tuition: $7,599
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,328
- Example Classes: Administrative Ethics in the Public Sector; Government and Business; Political Advocacy and Social Entrepreneurship; Political and Public Policy Analysis; Program Evaluation; Public Budgeting and Financial Administration; Public Organizations; Public Personnel Administration; Public Policy
Online Master's Degrees
- Combined Bachelor of Science in Public Administration/Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Health Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Social Entrepreneurship
- Annual Tuition: $7,608
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 4,359
- Example Classes: Administrative Behavior; Grant Writing; Public Budgeting & Finance; Public Information Management; Public Policy Analysis; Techniques of Public Administration Research
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Public Management
- MS in Media Management - Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration - Non-Profit Management
- Annual Tuition: $7,920
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 929
- Example Classes: Legal Issues in Public Administration; Rural Politics; Statistics for Public Administrators
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Administration in Social Entrepreneurship
- Annual Tuition: $8,154
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,761
- Example Classes: Analytical Tools; Budget and Finance; Human Resource Management; Information for Decision Making; Organization Dynamics; Public Policy for Managers
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Public Health/Master of Public Administration Joint Degree
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies - Environmental Planning and Management
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies - General Environmental Science
- Annual Tuition: $8,784
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,148
- Example Classes: Applied Alternative Dispute Resolution; Diversity Management; Facilitative Mediation; Negotiations in Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration
- MPA - Alternative Dispute Resolution
- MPA - Government Administration
- MPA - Homeland Security/Emergency Management
- MPA - Justice Administration
#25 Troy University
- Annual Tuition: $8,892
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,529
- Example Classes: Governmental Budgeting and Financial Management; Organizational Behavior; Public Human Resource Management; Public Policy; Research Methods in Public Administration; Theory of Organizations
Online Master's Degrees
- MPA
- MPA in International Public Administration
- MPA in National Security Affairs
- MPA in Nonprofit Management
- MPA in Public Health Administration
- MPA in Public Human Resource Management