Best Public Administration Schools Near Chattanooga, TN (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Chattanooga, Tennessee has 11 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $5,285 to $33,256 per year for indexed programs. Chattanooga has a population of about 182,832. Median household income is $61,028 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $102,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Chattanooga

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

Public Administration Wages Near Chattanooga

Chattanooga is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area (BLS area code 16860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$78,400Chattanooga, TN-GA$85,683
Urban and Regional Planner$62,780Chattanooga, TN-GA$68,612
General and Operations Manager$102,920Chattanooga, TN-GA$112,481
Management Analyst$96,870Chattanooga, TN-GA$105,869

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.

Chattanooga at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population182,832Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$61,028Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+35.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Chattanooga-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Chattanooga, TN?

Our directory has 11 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Chattanooga. The closest is The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in Chattanooga, TN (3.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cumberland University (98.3 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Chattanooga are: General and Operations Manager ($102,920), Management Analyst ($96,870), Social and Community Service Manager ($78,400). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in East Ridge instead of Chattanooga?

East Ridge, TN is 4.9 miles from Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga an affordable place to study public administration?

Chattanooga’s median household income of $61,028 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chattanooga while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Chattanooga

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

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.

Back to Best Public Administration Schools in Tennessee (2026)