Public Policy Bachelor’s Degrees
There are 198 schools in the United States where you can earn abachelor’s degree in Public Policy. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about48% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 3.0% of Public Policy graduates were international students.
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Education Levels of Public Policy Majors
In the most recent year for which data is available, 6,183 degrees were awarded toPublic Policy majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Public Policy at each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Certificate | 4 |
| Associate’s Degree | 9 |
| Bachelor’s Degree (this page) | 2,466 |
| Master’s Degree | 3,461 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 243 |
Earnings of Public Policy Majors With Bachelor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)
The median salary for graduates holding abachelor’s degree in Public Policy of $83,181 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 | $60,429 |
| 4 years | $83,181 |
| 5 years | $95,174 |
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 estimate the median debt for graduates with this degree.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their bachelor’s degree in Public Policy. About 63.3% of graduates with this degree are women.
| Gender | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Men | 904 |
| Women | 1,562 |
The racial-ethnic distribution of Public Policy graduates is as follows:
| Race / Ethnicity | Number of Grads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,208 | 49.0% |
| Asian | 323 | 13.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 401 | 16.3% |
| Black or African American | 235 | 9.5% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 14 | 0.6% |
| Two or More Races | 131 | 5.3% |
| Race Unknown | 81 | 3.3% |
| International Students | 73 | 3.0% |
This degree is not very popular with international students. Only 3.0% of graduates fall into this category.
See the minority definition in the References below.
Most Popular Public Policy Programs for Bachelor’s Degrees
There are 248 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy. Learn more about the most popular below:
The most popular school in the United States for Public Policy students seeking a bachelor's degree is Duke University. This school awarded 278 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 235 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Princeton University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 227 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
University of Maryland-College Park is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 224 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 198 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
University of Southern California comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. This school awarded 191 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy 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 Virginia-Main Campus is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 189 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
University of Wisconsin-Madison is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 188 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of California-Los Angeles is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 175 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Harvard University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 170 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Brandeis University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 160 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of Chicago comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 152 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 123 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of California-Berkeley is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 123 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Arizona State University Digital Immersion is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 119 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Liberty University comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 118 people received their bachelor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 113 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of California-Riverside is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 108 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
American University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 98 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
George Mason University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 89 bachelor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Public Policy Focus Areas
| Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Public Policy Analysis, General | 5,419 |
| Health Policy Analysis | 301 |
| International Policy Analysis | 276 |
| Education Policy Analysis | 104 |
| Public Policy Analysis, Other | 83 |
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors similar to Public Policy that also offer bachelor’s degrees.
| Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,176 |
| Public Administration | 13,993 |
| PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS | 11,674 |
| 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.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
More about our data sources and methodologies.