How much do Public Administration master's degree graduates from Virginia Commonwealth University earn?

The reported median is $76,945 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 5% below the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Public Administration master's degree at Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA · Public

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 close to similar programs.

$4,463 below the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff: $114,725 / 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.

+32%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$53,777 → $70,867

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

23Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

26Year-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.

121Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

24Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

53Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

25Graduates 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$76,945$30,787 above the preliminary benchmark

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

$76,945 vs. $65,093

$11,852 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$23,433

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$76,945

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$23,433Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$38,954Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE92.6%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE63.2%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.

$53,777Year 1

$76,945Year 4

$70,867Year 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$6,412

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$76,945 vs. $81,408

$4,463 below 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$166,230 median wageVA estimate · 21,560 jobs · 11-9199$138,670–$195,190 middle 50% of VA wages+4.9% projected U.S. growth · 100,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$119,140 median wageVA estimate · 3,380 jobs · 11-3071$93,570–$157,250 middle 50% of VA wages+6.1% projected U.S. growth · 18,300 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentChief Executives$310,740 median wageVA estimate · 4,870 jobs · 11-1011$193,700–$434,580 middle 50% of VA wages+3.2% projected U.S. growth · 19,100 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeGeneral and Operations Managers$122,080 median wageVA estimate · 103,590 jobs · 11-1021$78,240–$178,490 middle 50% of VA wages+5.0% projected U.S. growth · 285,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeConstruction Managers$119,110 median wageVA estimate · 7,290 jobs · 11-9021$96,390–$153,220 middle 50% of VA wages+9.1% projected U.S. growth · 49,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeSocial and Community Service Managers$94,970 median wageVA estimate · 3,300 jobs · 11-9151$74,080–$120,180 middle 50% of VA wages+7.2% projected U.S. growth · 18,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreePostmasters and Mail Superintendents$94,790 median wageVA estimate · 370 jobs · 11-9131$89,770–$101,310 middle 50% of VA wages-0.3% projected U.S. growth · 900 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentUrban and Regional Planners$86,030 median wageVA estimate · 1,740 jobs · 19-3051$70,530–$107,110 middle 50% of VA wages+3.9% projected U.S. growth · 3,200 openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreeTraffic Technicians$62,270 median wageVA estimate · 90 jobs · 53-6041$54,250–$80,650 middle 50% of VA wages+4.0% projected U.S. growth · 900 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentLegislatorsNot available median wageU.S. estimate · Unreported jobs · 11-1031

CENSUS EMPLOYMENT DESTINATIONS

Where graduates work five years later

The leading industries employing graduates in this college, broad field and credential group.

Health Care and Social Assistance

about 48.8%

Public Administration

about 18.7%

Educational Services

about 13.7%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

about 4.4%

Other Services (except Public Administration)

about 4.1%

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.

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University

$23,747 higher earnings · $5,518 lower annual net price

Earnings: $100,692
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $17,915

View outcomes →

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University

$7,422 higher earnings · $8,795 lower annual net price

Earnings: $84,367
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $14,638

View outcomes →

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University

$4,418 higher earnings · $111 lower annual net price

Earnings: $81,363
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $23,322

View outcomes →

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University

$2,367 higher earnings · $3,510 lower annual net price

Earnings: $79,312
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $19,923

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

26 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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