Best Public Administration Schools Near Northampton, MA (2026)

Northampton, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $58,867 to $68,432 per year for indexed programs. Northampton has a population of about 28,640. Median household income is $78,467 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 61.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is Management Analyst at a median $103,610 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Northampton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Northampton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Northampton 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 Northampton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA 14.8 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,346
Avg net price $16,721/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA 38.6 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,651
Avg net price $28,333/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Clark University

Worcester, MA 43.8 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,381
Avg net price $28,714/yr
Tuition
In‑state$58,867
Out‑of‑state$58,867
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Framingham State University

Framingham, MA 63.2 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,349
Avg net price $16,114/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Lowell, MA 72.3 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,874
Avg net price $17,163/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 79.5 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 174

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Northeastern University

Boston, MA 81.0 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $30,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Merrimack College

North Andover, MA 82.4 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,584
Avg net price $37,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 86

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Public Administration Wages Near Northampton

Northampton is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). 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$81,650Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$81,487
Urban and Regional Planner$80,660Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$80,499
General and Operations Manager$98,200Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$98,004
Management Analyst$103,610Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$103,403

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.


Northampton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population28,640Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$78,467Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+61.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Northampton-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Northampton, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Northampton. The closest is Westfield State University in Westfield, MA (14.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hudson Valley Community College (57.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Northampton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Northampton are: Management Analyst ($103,610), General and Operations Manager ($98,200), Social and Community Service Manager ($81,650). 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 Holyoke instead of Northampton?

Holyoke, MA is 8.1 miles from Northampton 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 Northampton an affordable place to study public administration?

Northampton’s median household income of $78,467 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Northampton 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 Northampton

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

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.