How much do Public Policy Analysis master's degree graduates from Carnegie Mellon University earn?

The reported median is $103,268 four years after completion.

How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

Federal debt is not reported for this cohort.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 11% above the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Public Policy Analysis master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA · 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.

$10,248 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: $246,340 / 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.

+67%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$68,342 → $114,079

Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

17Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

86Year-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.

15Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

Not reportedFederal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

15Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

92Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion

Preliminary federal earnings benchmark$46,158Informational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$103,268$57,110 above the preliminary benchmark

Additional borrowing reported for this category: Parent PLUS not reported · 15 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

$103,268 vs. $73,721

$29,547 above the national bachelor’s median in the same field.

Comparison basis34 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$31,944

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$103,268

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$31,944Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$83,654Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE11.7%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE94.1%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.

$68,342Year 1

$103,268Year 4

$114,079Year 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$8,606

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$103,268 vs. $93,020

$10,248 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.

Social Science Research Assistants$54,610 median wagePA estimate · 860 jobs · 19-4061$48,590–$64,790 middle 50% of PA wages+5.0% projected U.S. growth · 4,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreePolitical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$97,230 median wagePA estimate · 660 jobs · 25-1065$75,590–$121,780 middle 50% of PA wages+2.5% projected U.S. growth · 1,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreePolitical Scientists$140,020 median wagePA estimate · 70 jobs · 19-3094$89,750–$169,580 middle 50% of PA wages-2.0% projected U.S. growth · 400 openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$97,640 median wagePA estimate · 620 jobs · 19-3099$82,970–$117,170 middle 50% of PA wages-0.2% projected U.S. growth · 2,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeHealth Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$107,920 median wagePA estimate · 14,890 jobs · 25-1071$71,070–$212,620 middle 50% of PA wages+17.9% projected U.S. growth · 24,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeMedical and Health Services Managers$103,670 median wagePA estimate · 30,480 jobs · 11-9111$81,130–$130,640 middle 50% of PA wages+24.2% projected U.S. growth · 62,300 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeEducation Teachers, Postsecondary$74,910 median wagePA estimate · 3,390 jobs · 25-1081$49,460–$96,950 middle 50% of PA wages+2.5% projected U.S. growth · 5,300 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeLegislatorsNot available median wageU.S. estimate · Unreported jobs · 11-1031NO MATCHNot available median wageU.S. estimate · Unreported jobs · 99-9999

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.

Philadelphia, PA

Temple University

$3,746 lower annual net price

Earnings: $91,832
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $28,198

View outcomes →

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

$26,710 higher earnings · $12,878 lower annual net price

Earnings: $129,978
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $19,066

View outcomes →

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University

$16,895 higher earnings · $25,816 lower annual net price

Earnings: $120,163
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $6,128

View outcomes →

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago

$9,459 higher earnings · $17,084 lower annual net price

Earnings: $112,727
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $14,860

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

86 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.

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