Best Public Administration Schools Near Sugar Land, TX (2026)

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

Sugar Land, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $9,228 to $25,505 per year for indexed programs. Sugar Land has a population of about 109,735. Median household income is $137,511 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 62.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $119,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Sugar Land

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

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 18.2 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Houston

Houston, TX 19.1 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 31.9 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, TX 77.5 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
60.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,211
Avg net price $16,404/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,228
Out‑of‑state$19,068
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 104

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX 82.4 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
81.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,097
Avg net price $21,315/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 233

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX 98.3 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,652
Avg net price $9,366/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX 140.3 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,906
Avg net price $16,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 132

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches, TX 151.6 miles from Sugar Land
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,634
Avg net price $14,260/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 86

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Administration Wages Near Sugar Land

Sugar Land is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$76,780Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$77,870
Urban and Regional Planner$84,160Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$85,355
General and Operations Manager$119,600Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$121,298
Management Analyst$101,120Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$102,556

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.

Sugar Land at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population109,735Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$137,511Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+62.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)98.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Sugar Land-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Sugar Land, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Sugar Land. The closest is Texas Southern University in Houston, TX (18.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (82.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Sugar Land?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Sugar Land are: General and Operations Manager ($119,600), Management Analyst ($101,120), Urban and Regional Planner ($84,160). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Missouri City instead of Sugar Land?

Missouri City, TX is 5.9 miles from Sugar Land 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 Sugar Land an affordable place to study public administration?

Sugar Land’s median household income of $137,511 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sugar Land while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Sugar Land

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

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 Texas (2026)