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Best Public Administration Schools Near Berkeley, CA (2026)
Berkeley, California has 12 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $60,492 per year for indexed programs. Berkeley has a population of about 120,223. Median household income is $108,558 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 75.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $149,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Administration Schools to Berkeley
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Berkeley, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Berkeley city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
No school data available.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Berkeley
Berkeley is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social and Community Service Manager | $93,410 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $80,804 |
| Urban and Regional Planner | $136,250 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $117,863 |
| General and Operations Manager | $149,990 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $129,749 |
| Management Analyst | $126,730 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $109,628 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Berkeley at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 120,223 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $108,558 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 75.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 115.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Berkeley-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- El Cerrito, CA – 3.6 mi away (25,400 pop)
- Richmond, CA – 6.2 mi away (109,813 pop)
- Oakland, CA – 6.5 mi away (420,005 pop)
- San Pablo, CA – 7.2 mi away (30,536 pop)
- Alameda, CA – 7.3 mi away (78,906 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Berkeley, CA?
Our directory has 12 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Berkeley. The closest is Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA (8.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Stanislaus (81.4 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Berkeley?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Berkeley are: General and Operations Manager ($149,990), Urban and Regional Planner ($136,250), Management Analyst ($126,730). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in El Cerrito instead of Berkeley?
El Cerrito, CA is 3.6 miles from Berkeley and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Berkeley an affordable place to study public administration?
Berkeley’s median household income of $108,558 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Berkeley while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Public Administration Programs
- Is a Public Administration degree worth it?
- Main Public Administration degree guide
- Online Public Administration programs in California
- Public Administration programs by state
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Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Berkeley:
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Related from Our Editorial Library
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- Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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