Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Public Administration Master's Degree

Public Administration Master’s Degrees

There are 429 schools in the United States where you can earn amaster’s degree in Public Administration. This degree is more popular with female students, and about45% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 12.1% of Public Administration graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Public Administration Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 13,993 people earned theirPublic Administration majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Public Administration at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 27
Associate’s Degree 88
Bachelor’s Degree 2,130
Master’s Degree (this page) 11,403
Doctor’s Degree 344

Earnings of Public Administration Majors With Master’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

The median salary for graduates holding amaster’s degree in Public Administration of $65,901 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

A lot of factors can contribute to this number, such as the location of your workplace and the availability of other perks and bonuses.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $60,712
4 years $65,901
5 years $73,920

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for Public Administration students with their master’s degree.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with female students. About 60.1% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 4,196
Women 6,326
Gender Diversity of Master's Degrees in Public Administration

The racial-ethnic distribution of Public Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 4,532 43.1%
Asian 460 4.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1,616 15.4%
Black or African American 1,727 16.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 48 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 29 0.3%
Two or More Races 327 3.1%
Race Unknown 510 4.8%
International Students 1,273 12.1%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Public Administration Master's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 12.1% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 501 colleges that offer a master’s degree in Public Administration. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Public Administration students seeking a master's degree is Indiana University-Bloomington. During the most recent year for which we have data, 556 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Columbia University in the City of New York comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 409 master's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 263 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#4

New York University

New York, NY

New York University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 262 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#5

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 237 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#6

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 230 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Phoenix-Arizona is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 228 master's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#8

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN

Walden University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 202 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

California State University-Northridge is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 173 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 173 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Southern California is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 172 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio State University-Main Campus comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 171 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 170 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 169 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#15

American University

Washington, DC

American University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 162 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#16

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL

Columbia Southern University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 160 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Central Florida is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 158 master's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Texas A&M University-College Station is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 153 master's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 148 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 145 people received their master's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Public Administration Focus Areas

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Administration 13,898
Public Administration, Other 53
Public Works Management 24
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies 18

Below are some popular majors similar to Public Administration that also offer master’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Social Work 58,176
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS 11,674
Public Policy Analysis 6,183
Community Organization and Advocacy 2,651
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other 518

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S. for free.