Public Administration
Public Administration & Social Service
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $62,424 | $55,750 to $70,266 | 51 | 98% |
| Graduate/Professional Certificate | $74,416 | $74,213 to $81,812 | 5 | 100% |
| Master's Degree | $77,113 | $67,697 to $85,272 | 229 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +5% (2025 to 2035), about 496,500 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $105,770 | +5% | 285,000 |
| Managers, All Other | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Construction Managers | $114,990 | +9.1% | 49,700 |
| Chief Executives | $213,990 | +3.2% | 19,100 |
| Social and Community Service Managers | $80,390 | +7.2% | 18,500 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $107,230 | +6.1% | 18,300 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a public administration program, of 438 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Indiana University-Bloomington
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- Harvard University
- Syracuse University
- New York University
- Liberty University
- Grand Canyon University
- American University
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.