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Public Policy at Vanderbilt University

What traits are you looking for in a school for Public Policy, consider the program at Vanderbilt University. Get started with the following essential facts.

Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, TN.

In the most recent year for which we have data, 33 public policy degrees were granted at Vanderbilt University.

Online Class Availability at Vanderbilt University

Many students take online classes at Vanderbilt University. Among 13,575 students, 652 (5%) studied exclusively online and 666 (5%) took at least some classes online.

Public Policy Rankings at Vanderbilt University

Use these rankings to compare Vanderbilt University’s Public Policy program to other colleges that offer this major.

Master’s-Level Rankings

Ranking	Scope	Rank
Best Schools (Quality)	Tennessee	#1 of 2
Best Value	Tennessee	#2 of 2
Best Schools (Quality)	Southeast (Region)	#8 of 18
Best Value	Southeast (Region)	#10 of 18
Best Value	Nationwide	#46 of 95
Best Schools (Quality)	Nationwide	#57 of 96

Earnings for Public Policy Graduates from Vanderbilt University

Those who finish Vanderbilt University’s Public Policy program report the following median earnings (per the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard):

Years After Graduation	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,876
2 years	$56,419
3 years	$64,086
4 years	$72,427
5 years	$81,298

How do these earnings stack up against the rest of the school? Four years out, Public Policy graduates from Vanderbilt University earn a median of $72,427, compared with $102,170 for all Vanderbilt University graduates — about 29% lower than the school-wide median.

Student Demographics & Diversity

The following sections describe the composition of Public Policy graduates at Vanderbilt University, broken down by degree level.

Program-wide, Public Policy graduates at Vanderbilt University are 61% women (20) and 39% men (13).

Public Policy Bachelor’s Program at Vanderbilt University

Among the 25 bachelor’s public policy degrees awarded at Vanderbilt University, 56% were women (14) and 44% were men (11).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of Public Policy bachelor’s degree recipients at Vanderbilt University.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	12
Hispanic / Latino	2
Black / African American	2
Asian	5
American Indian / Alaska Native	1
Two or More Races	2
International (Nonresident)	1

Minority students account for 48% of Public Policy bachelor’s degree recipients at Vanderbilt University, above the national average of 45%.*

Public Policy Master’s Program at Vanderbilt University

Of the 8 master’s public policy degrees awarded at Vanderbilt University, 75% were women (6) and 25% were men (2).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of Public Policy master’s degree recipients at Vanderbilt University.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	3
Hispanic / Latino	1
Black / African American	1
Asian	3

Racial-ethnic minorities make up 62% of Public Policy master’s degree recipients at Vanderbilt University, above the national average of 33%.*

*The racial-ethnic minorities figure is the total number of graduates minus White, international (nonresident), and unknown-race graduates.

More Specific Public Policy Concentrations at Vanderbilt University

This Public Policy program at Vanderbilt University breaks down into more specific concentrations:

Concentration	Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis	25
Education Policy Analysis	8

Best-Paid Careers for Public Policy Graduates

Students who finish Public Policy program at Vanderbilt University go on to a range of careers. Below are the highest-paying careers for Public Policy majors, ordered by median annual salary:

Occupation	Nationwide Median Wage
Legislators	$167,600
Medical and Health Services Managers	$129,557
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	$98,329
Political Scientists	$71,521
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$66,472
Transportation Planners	$50,855
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$46,663
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other	$42,168
Social Science Research Assistants	$41,630

References

• IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
• U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard
• O*NET Online (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• National Center for Education Statistics

More about our data sources and methodologies.