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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Public Administration master's degree at American University

Washington, DC · Private nonprofit

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are notably above similar programs.

$26,458 above the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings
Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff
$269,330 / year
Modeled 10-year payoff
Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data
College-wide context only
OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

+46%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$78,068 → $113,922
Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
31Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
146Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median
Not availableBorrowers representedCohort behind the debt median
Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential
Not availableRecent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential
NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

286Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment
86Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers
Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count
195Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count
4.0%Federal-aid non-completion rate2022–23 program cohort · 15 non-completers
150Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion
Preliminary federal earnings benchmarkNot availableInformational preview, not a final accountability result
Observed year-4 earnings$107,866A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Additional borrowing reported for this category: Parent PLUS not reported · 63 Grad PLUS borrowers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

GRADUATE-DEGREE BASELINE

$107,866 vs. $65,093

$42,773 above the national bachelor’s median in the same field.

Comparison basis47 bachelor’s program records

This is a cross-cohort benchmark, not the salary increase caused by earning this graduate credential. Your current earnings remain the correct baseline for personal ROI.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$41,943

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWINGNot available

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$107,866

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENTNot available

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$41,943Institution-wide annual figure
COST OF ATTENDANCE$76,058Institution-wide annual budget
ADMISSION RATE62.0%Institution context
COMPLETION RATE75.5%Institution-wide completion rate
WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$78,068Year 1
$107,866Year 4
$113,922Year 5
CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

Repayment pressure is not available

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$8,989
Estimated loan paymentNot available
Not availableborrowers represented where reported
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$107,866 vs. $81,408

$26,458 above the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median
WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.
Managers, All Other$175,720 median wageDC estimate · 18,570 jobs · 11-9199$156,730–$195,190 middle 50% of DC wages+4.9% projected U.S. growth · 100,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$132,180 median wageDC estimate · 610 jobs · 11-3071$105,750–$189,950 middle 50% of DC wages+6.1% projected U.S. growth · 18,300 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentChief Executives$213,990 median wageU.S. estimate · 204,350 jobs · 11-1011+3.2% projected U.S. growth · 19,100 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeGeneral and Operations Managers$168,000 median wageDC estimate · 36,150 jobs · 11-1021$127,110–$204,890 middle 50% of DC wages+5.0% projected U.S. growth · 285,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeUrban and Regional Planners$137,000 median wageDC estimate · 120 jobs · 19-3051$110,190–$156,750 middle 50% of DC wages+3.9% projected U.S. growth · 3,200 openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreeConstruction Managers$126,430 median wageDC estimate · 1,250 jobs · 11-9021$103,660–$161,240 middle 50% of DC wages+9.1% projected U.S. growth · 49,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeSocial and Community Service Managers$106,700 median wageDC estimate · 640 jobs · 11-9151$87,990–$135,000 middle 50% of DC wages+7.2% projected U.S. growth · 18,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreePostmasters and Mail Superintendents$96,660 median wageU.S. estimate · 13,810 jobs · 11-9131-0.3% projected U.S. growth · 900 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentTraffic Technicians$59,090 median wageU.S. estimate · 7,860 jobs · 53-6041+4.0% projected U.S. growth · 900 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentLegislatorsNot available median wageU.S. estimate · Unreported jobs · 11-1031
Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Washington, DC

George Washington University

$6,025 higher earnings · $5,357 lower annual net price

Earnings
$113,891
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$36,586
View outcomes →
Washington, DC

Strayer University-Global Region

$24,110 lower annual net price

Earnings
$62,227
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$17,833
View outcomes →
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

$69,283 higher earnings · $22,877 lower annual net price

Earnings
$177,149
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$19,066
View outcomes →
Paxton, MA

Anna Maria College

$15,341 higher earnings · $13,610 lower annual net price

Earnings
$123,207
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$28,333
View outcomes →
Compare these programs →
DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

146 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

Calculate my payoff →