Best Public Administration Schools Near Woodbury, MN (2026)

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

Woodbury, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $14,400 to $58,110 per year for indexed programs. Woodbury has a population of about 76,945. Median household income is $126,222 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 63.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is Urban and Regional Planner at a median $103,970 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Woodbury

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

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

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#1

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN 8.2 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,705
Avg net price $16,863/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN 12.5 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
66.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,106
Avg net price $20,744/yr
Tuition
In‑state$50,004
Out‑of‑state$50,004
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN 16.0 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,020
Avg net price $16,778/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 250

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN 17.6 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
19.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,810
Avg net price $33,817/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 12%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN 17.6 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
29.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,189
Avg net price $17,956/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,400
Out‑of‑state$14,400
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 37%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Minnesota State University-Mankato

Mankato, MN 74.6 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,922
Avg net price $19,139/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 142

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN 74.7 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,813
Avg net price $13,529/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 123

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Winona State University

Winona, MN 86.6 miles from Woodbury
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,532
Avg net price $17,503/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Administration Wages Near Woodbury

Woodbury is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$89,990Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$85,868
Urban and Regional Planner$103,970Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$99,208
General and Operations Manager$103,570Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$98,826
Management Analyst$101,560Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$96,908

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.

Woodbury at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population76,945Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$126,222Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+63.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Woodbury-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Woodbury, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Woodbury. The closest is Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, MN (8.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Capella University (17.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Woodbury are: Urban and Regional Planner ($103,970), General and Operations Manager ($103,570), Management Analyst ($101,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in South Saint Paul instead of Woodbury?

South Saint Paul, MN is 5.9 miles from Woodbury 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 Woodbury an affordable place to study public administration?

Woodbury’s median household income of $126,222 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Woodbury while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota 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 Woodbury

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

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.

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