Best Public Administration Schools Near Mountain View, CA

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Mountain View, California has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $22,850 per year for indexed programs. Mountain View has a population of about 82,363. Median household income is $179,917 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $163,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Mountain View

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Mountain View, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Mountain View city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Mountain View. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 11.8 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA 13.9 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,576
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 17.9 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northeastern University Oakland

Oakland, CA 26.9 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
42.7 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $25,181/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 0%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 31.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA 32.1 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,434
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 33.0 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

Monterey, CA 56.2 miles from Mountain View
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
92.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,310
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Mountain View

Mountain View is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$98,030San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$88,795
Urban and Regional Planner$139,360San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$126,232
General and Operations Manager$163,860San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$148,424
Management Analyst$136,670San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$123,795

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.

Mountain View at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population82,363Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$179,917Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+74.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Mountain View-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Mountain View, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Mountain View. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (11.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Francisco State University (31.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Mountain View?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Mountain View are: General and Operations Manager ($163,860), Urban and Regional Planner ($139,360), Management Analyst ($136,670). 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 Los Altos instead of Mountain View?

Los Altos, CA is 2.4 miles from Mountain View 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 Mountain View an affordable place to study public administration?

Mountain View’s median household income of $179,917 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Mountain View 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

Other Programs Available in Mountain View

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Mountain View:

Data verified: August 31, 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.

Back to Best Public Administration Schools in California (2026)