Best Public Administration Schools Near New Bedford, MA (2026)

New Bedford, Massachusetts has 21 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $11,300 to $66,162 per year for indexed programs. New Bedford has a population of about 100,731. Median household income is $56,025 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $110,360 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to New Bedford

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near New Bedford, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from New Bedford 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 Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts public administration page.


Public Administration Wages Near New Bedford

New Bedford is part of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (BLS area code 39300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$77,490Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$76,120
Urban and Regional Planner$87,880Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$86,326
General and Operations Manager$110,360Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$108,409
Management Analyst$100,360Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$98,585

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.


New Bedford at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population100,731Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$56,025Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+16.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)101.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other New Bedford-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near New Bedford, MA?

Our directory has 21 accredited schools offering public administration programs near New Bedford. The closest is University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in North Dartmouth, MA (4.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northeastern University Professional Programs (46.9 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near New Bedford?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near New Bedford are: General and Operations Manager ($110,360), Management Analyst ($100,360), Urban and Regional Planner ($87,880). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fall River instead of New Bedford?

Fall River, MA is 8.7 miles from New Bedford 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 New Bedford an affordable place to study public administration?

New Bedford’s median household income of $56,025 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in New Bedford while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 New Bedford

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for New Bedford:

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.