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Public Policy Analysis

Students study how government policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated using economic analysis, statistical methods, and political theory to address issues like healthcare, education, and environmental regulation. Graduates typically pursue careers as policy analysts, legislative staff, think tank researchers, government affairs consultants, and program evaluators. This major combines analytical rigor with real-world impact on the issues that shape society.

Compare Schools

Schools

Programs analyzed

Earnings

$46,425

Avg 1-yr grad earnings

Range $30,303–$77,906

Outlook

46/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

AI Risk

High

54% task exposure

Field Overview

What Public Policy Analysis graduates do

Your public policy analysis degree is a launchpad into managing complex systems, particularly in the booming healthcare sector. As a medical or health services manager, you won’t just be in meetings; you’ll build department budgets, ensure your hospital complies with new regulations, and analyze patient data to improve services. Many careers begin in a support role like a social science research assistant, where you’ll spend your days gathering data, running statistical models, and drafting literature reviews for senior analysts. From there, you can advance into management or pivot to academia as a postsecondary teacher, shaping curriculum and mentoring students.

While policy roles in healthcare and related teaching fields are growing rapidly, be aware that traditional political scientist jobs are highly competitive and facing headwinds. Across these paths, AI will automate significant chunks of routine work, like data collection and initial analysis. Your job will change, demanding more focus on strategy and judgment. Because entry-level research tasks have high AI exposure, your value will come from your ability to direct, question, and interpret AI-driven insights—not just perform the analysis yourself.

Students weighing Public Policy Analysis often also consider Political Science, International Relations, and Microbiology & Immunology — compare earnings, ROI, and AI outlook side by side.

Career Trajectories

Where Public Policy Analysis graduates work

Common career paths for Public Policy Analysis graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 107,800 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role	Median Pay	Annual Openings	10-yr Growth	AI Exposure
Political scientists	$139,380 $103K–$172K	500	-3.1%	Moderate · 48%
Medical and health services managers	$117,960 $89K–$162K	62,100	+23.2%	Moderate · 43%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	$105,620 $74K–$176K	27,400	+17.3%	Moderate · 48%
Social scientists and related workers, all other	$100,340 $79K–$128K	3,200	-1.7%	High · 52%
Political science teachers, postsecondary	$94,680 $65K–$127K	1,600	+2.0%	Moderate · 48%
Education teachers, postsecondary	$72,090 $51K–$96K	5,600	+2.1%	Moderate · 49%
Social science research assistants	$58,040 $46K–$73K	5,200	+4.4%	High · 67%
Legislators	$44,810 $29K–$80K	2,200	+3.4%	Moderate · 40%

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

Top Institutions

Best schools for Public Policy Analysis

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 40.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 63

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC · Public

$48,252 1-yr earnings

18.5x ROI multiple

High AI risk

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI · #2

$49,685/yr · 11.5x ROI

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · #3

$77,906/yr · 3.1x ROI

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ · #4

$73,630/yr · 3.1x ROI

#	School	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	ROI
5	Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit	59	$60,501	3.3x
6	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	58	$49,753	12.1x
7	University of Mississippi University, MS · Public	57	$40,259	16.8x
8	University of Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	56	$60,057	2.7x
9	Empire State University Saratoga Springs, NY · Public	56	$52,614	16.2x
10	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	55	$42,215	15.9x
11	St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD · Public	52	$43,629	9.6x
12	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	50	$50,643	8.8x
13	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	49	$48,383	9.3x
14	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	49	$39,867	9.9x
15	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	48	$51,082	6.4x
16	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	47	$45,642	8.9x
17	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	47	$36,796	9.6x
18	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	46	$49,753	—
19	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA · Private nonprofit	45	$61,592	1.4x
20	Brown University Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	44	$58,161	1.1x
21	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	44	$57,023	1.2x
22	Trinity College Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit	44	$56,902	1.1x
23	Hamilton College Clinton, NY · Private nonprofit	44	$56,158	1.1x
24	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	43	$43,005	5.7x
25	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	42	$52,403	0.9x
26	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	42	$43,837	6.4x
27	William & Mary Williamsburg, VA · Public	42	$36,703	5.4x
28	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit	41	$40,434	2.0x
29	Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit	38	$48,558	1.3x
30	Regent University Virginia Beach, VA · Private nonprofit	38	$38,546	3.7x
31	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	37	$32,536	7.5x
32	Brandeis University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit	36	$39,943	1.6x
33	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	36	$30,303	9.5x
34	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	35	$35,205	5.1x
35	University of Redlands Redlands, CA · Private nonprofit	33	$37,888	0.6x
36	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public	33	$33,424	3.8x
37	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public	33	$33,424	3.8x
38	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public	33	$33,424	3.8x
39	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public	33	$33,424	3.8x
40	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public	32	$33,424	3.1x

Explore our Public Policy Analysis rankings across 40 schools nationwide →

Highest Earnings Top 5

Cornell University NY	$77,906
Princeton University NJ	$73,630
Dickinson College PA	$61,592
Duke University NC	$60,501
University of Chicago IL	$60,057

Best ROI Top 5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC	18.5x
University of Mississippi MS	16.8x
Empire State University NY	16.2x
Georgia State University GA	15.9x
Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ	12.1x

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Public Policy Analysis.

Social Work Community Organization and Advocacy Public Policy Human Services Political Science Biology Economics English History Psychology Mechanical Engineering Sociology

FAQ

Frequently asked about Public Policy Analysis

What do Public Policy Analysis graduates make in their first year?

Across 40 schools, Public Policy Analysis graduates earn an average of $46,425 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $30,303 to $77,906 depending on the school.

How exposed is Public Policy Analysis to AI disruption?

Our analysis classifies Public Policy Analysis as "High" for AI risk — approximately 54% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts most of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.

What's the top-ranked school for Public Policy Analysis?

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill leads all 40 programs with a DegreeOutlook Score of 63/100. Graduates earn $48,252/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.

What's the outlook for a Public Policy Analysis degree?

Typical graduates earn 6.2 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.