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Public Administration Degree

45 schools compared · Average earnings $49,353/yr

Students study the management and operation of government agencies and public organizations, including budgeting, policy implementation, organizational leadership, and public accountability. Graduates typically pursue careers as government managers, city administrators, program directors, budget analysts, and nonprofit executives managing public programs. Public administration professionals serve at every level of government and in organizations that work closely with the public sector.

What Public Administration Graduates Do

You’ll likely begin your career on the ground floor of public service, perhaps as a policy analyst or program coordinator, learning how a city department or nonprofit truly operates. The goal is to move into leadership. You could become a social and community service manager, where your day involves everything from writing grants and managing caseworkers to advocating for new housing initiatives. Or you might become a construction manager for public works, overseeing projects like new parks or transit lines, splitting your time between the office and the job site.

These management roles, particularly in construction and community services, are showing the strongest job growth. While you could eventually become a high-earning chief executive, that path is long. With a moderate AI exposure level, expect technology to change your daily tasks substantially. AI will handle routine budget analysis, draft initial policy memos, and optimize service delivery schedules. This shifts your focus to the irreplaceable human skills: negotiating with stakeholders, leading teams, and making the tough, ethical decisions that automated systems can't.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$49,353/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

64/100

AI Automation Risk

High

51% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Public Administration graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 528,800 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Chief executives	$206,420	22,200	+4.3%	56%
Managers, all other	$136,550 $100K$179K	106,700	+4.5%	47%
Construction managers	$106,980 $83K$139K	46,800	+8.7%	44%
General and operations managers	$102,950 $67K$164K	308,700	+4.4%	48%
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers	$102,010 $78K$136K	18,500	+6.1%	49%
Postmasters and mail superintendents	$92,730 $87K–$100K	900	-3.5%	52%
Urban and regional planners	$83,720 $66K$104K	3,400	+3.4%	48%
Social and community service managers	$78,240 $62K$101K	18,600	+6.4%	39%
Traffic technicians	$58,480 $47K$74K	800	+3.7%	46%
Legislators	$44,810 $29K$80K	2,200	+3.4%	40%

Chief executives

$206,420

22,200 openings/yr +4.3% growth 56% AI risk

Managers, all other

$136,550

$100K $179K

106,700 openings/yr +4.5% growth 47% AI risk

Construction managers

$106,980

$83K $139K

46,800 openings/yr +8.7% growth 44% AI risk

General and operations managers

$102,950

$67K $164K

308,700 openings/yr +4.4% growth 48% AI risk

Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

$102,010

$78K $136K

18,500 openings/yr +6.1% growth 49% AI risk

Postmasters and mail superintendents

$92,730

$87K–$100K

900 openings/yr -3.5% growth 52% AI risk

Urban and regional planners

$83,720

$66K $104K

3,400 openings/yr +3.4% growth 48% AI risk

Social and community service managers

$78,240

$62K $101K

18,600 openings/yr +6.4% growth 39% AI risk

Traffic technicians

$58,480

$47K $74K

800 openings/yr +3.7% growth 46% AI risk

Legislators

$44,810

$29K $80K

2,200 openings/yr +3.4% growth 40% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Public Administration

Top 20 of 45 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of Phoenix-Arizona Phoenix, AZ	77 73–78	$61,790/yr	16.9x
2	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC	77 73–78	$56,445/yr	32.8x
3	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA	74 71–74	$76,049/yr	25.8x
4	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD	73 70–74	$74,053/yr	22.2x
5	George Mason University Fairfax, VA	73 69–74	$56,674/yr	12.2x
6	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL	73 69–73	$46,047/yr	29.7x
7	California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA	73 69–74	$45,471/yr	22.2x
8	Ashford University San Diego, CA	72 69–73	$65,503/yr	11.3x
9	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN	72 69–73	$47,013/yr	14.9x
10	Barry University Miami, FL	71 68–72	$103,107/yr	4.4x
11	Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA	71 67–72	$61,104/yr	9.0x
12	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY	71 67–72	$48,881/yr	18.3x
13	Florida International University Miami, FL	71 67–72	$46,281/yr	21.1x
14	National University San Diego, CA	69 67–70	$77,077/yr	13.5x
15	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA	69 66–70	$48,396/yr	11.8x
16	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI	69 66–70	$44,951/yr	17.0x
17	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	66 63–67	$73,129/yr	10.1x
18	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	66 63–67	$45,278/yr	9.4x
19	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	66 63–67	$43,110/yr	13.6x
20	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY	66 65–66	$37,792/yr	20.4x
21	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA	66 66–67	$36,626/yr	23.0x
22	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI	65 62–65	$43,632/yr	13.5x
23	St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL	65 62–66	$42,735/yr	38.8x
24	University of Hawaii-West Oahu Kapolei, HI	65 62–66	$42,481/yr	16.6x
25	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	63 61–64	$41,650/yr	11.3x
26	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	63 62–64	$38,681/yr	20.1x
27	Texas State University San Marcos, TX	62 58–63	$46,491/yr	10.4x
28	Kean University Union, NJ	61 58–62	$45,850/yr	9.3x
29	CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY	61 58–62	$43,317/yr	13.7x
30	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	61 59–62	$41,020/yr	14.3x
31	California Baptist University Riverside, CA	60 56–61	$68,682/yr	3.3x
32	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	60 59–61	$38,877/yr	13.2x
33	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA	60 60–61	$36,969/yr	16.7x
34	Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL	59 58–60	$38,521/yr	34.2x
35	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	58 56–59	$39,365/yr	8.7x
36	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL	57 53–58	$61,613/yr	3.6x
37	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	57 53–58	$53,912/yr	2.0x
38	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	57 53–58	$46,301/yr	7.2x
39	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	57 56–58	$39,136/yr	9.5x
40	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX	57 56–57	$38,358/yr	12.6x
41	Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN	55 56–56	$34,780/yr	13.3x
42	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX	54 54–55	$36,328/yr	8.9x
43	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	50 49–51	$38,767/yr	5.8x
44	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	49 49–50	$36,236/yr	7.6x
45	Rhode Island College Providence, RI	44 45–45	$32,409/yr	6.4x

Highest Earning Public Administration Programs

Schools where Public Administration graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Barry University	$103,107/yr	71
National University	$77,077/yr	69
California State University-Northridge	$76,049/yr	74
University of Maryland Global Campus	$74,053/yr	73
Southern New Hampshire University	$73,129/yr	66
California Baptist University	$68,682/yr	60
Ashford University	$65,503/yr	72
University of Phoenix-Arizona	$61,790/yr	77
Flagler College	$61,613/yr	57
Upper Iowa University	$61,104/yr	71

Best ROI for Public Administration

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Public Administration.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
St Petersburg College	38.8x	$42,735/yr	65
Indian River State College	34.2x	$38,521/yr	59
Western Carolina University	32.8x	$56,445/yr	77
Florida Atlantic University	29.7x	$46,047/yr	73
California State University-Northridge	25.8x	$76,049/yr	74
California State University-Fullerton	23.0x	$36,626/yr	66
University of Maryland Global Campus	22.2x	$74,053/yr	73
California State University-Dominguez Hills	22.2x	$45,471/yr	73
Florida International University	21.1x	$46,281/yr	71
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	20.4x	$37,792/yr	66

Want to compare two Public Administration programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Public Administration offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Public Administration graduates earn?

Across 45 schools, Public Administration graduates earn an average of $49,353 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $32,409 to $103,107 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Public Administration?

Public Administration is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 51% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Public Administration program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Phoenix-Arizona ranks #1 for Public Administration with a score of 77/100 and graduate earnings of $61,790/yr.

What's the outlook for a Public Administration degree?

On average, Public Administration graduates earn 14.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →