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MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Public Administration worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 244 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$77,329 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$77,329Median year-4 earnings
$18,308Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$77,329Typical earnings four years after completion
$75,176Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
49thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
49Degrees awarded in 2024–25
244College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 15 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Public Administration

How much do Public Administration master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $77,329 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Public Administration?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $66,535 to $86,093 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Public Administration?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 10 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$67,522
Federal debt
$20,125
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$64,953
Federal debt
$23,626
Programs in the comparison
52
47 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$76,815
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$77,329
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
244
244 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$100,861
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$78,355
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$74,416
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$66,535National median$77,32975th percentile$86,093
244 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$86,09375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Harvard University

$177,149 four years after completionCambridge, MA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

American University

220 reported awards in 2024–25Washington, DC · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$122,517Observed year-4 earnings$94,446
$9,320Annual college-wide average net price$41,544
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Harvard University$177,1492Anna Maria College$123,2073Golden Gate University$122,5984Johns Hopkins University$122,5175Calumet College of Saint Joseph$121,7546Columbia University in the City of New York$115,8747George Washington University$113,8918New York University$109,9469San Francisco State University$108,09310Syracuse University$107,868

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$107,230 median wage221,180 jobs nationwide+6.1% projected growth through 2035 · 18,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$65,120–$194,900 typical wage rangeChief Executives$213,990 median wage204,350 jobs nationwide+3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 19,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$75,700–$507,730 typical wage rangeConstruction Managers$114,990 median wage380,360 jobs nationwide+9.1% projected growth through 2035 · 49,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$69,690–$189,440 typical wage rangeGeneral and Operations Managers$105,770 median wage3,503,020 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 285,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$50,090–$253,390 typical wage rangePostmasters and Mail Superintendents$96,660 median wage13,810 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$85,090–$111,740 typical wage rangeUrban and Regional Planners$89,320 median wage44,230 jobs nationwide+3.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$60,010–$134,490 typical wage rangeSocial and Community Service Managers$80,390 median wage209,330 jobs nationwide+7.2% projected growth through 2035 · 18,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,150–$132,260 typical wage rangeTraffic Technicians$59,090 median wage7,860 jobs nationwide+4.0% projected growth through 2035 · 900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$39,090–$85,130 typical wage rangeLegislatorsUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Master's Degree

Social Work

Year-4 earnings
$62,611
Federal debt
Not available
283 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Public Policy Analysis

Year-4 earnings
$89,111
Federal debt
Not available
50 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Human Services, General

Year-4 earnings
$57,277
Federal debt
Not available
23 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Community Organization and Advocacy

Year-4 earnings
$63,839
Federal debt
Not available
10 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA22 programs$90,474 average earningsTX16 programs$74,820 average earningsNY14 programs$89,721 average earningsGA13 programs$64,329 average earningsNC11 programs$71,640 average earningsNJ10 programs$75,417 average earningsMA10 programs$98,715 average earningsFL10 programs$74,157 average earningsVA9 programs$76,751 average earningsOH9 programs$72,455 average earningsMI8 programs$69,802 average earningsIN8 programs$81,332 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.