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Public Policy Doctor's Degree

Public Policy Doctor’s Degrees

There are 198 schools in the United States where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Public Policy. Among those who recently graduated from the schools offering this degree, the majority were women, and35% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 20.6% of Public Policy graduates were international students.

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 2,466
Master’s Degree 3,461
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 243

Earnings of Public Policy Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

Federal data tracks the median salary for graduates with adoctor’s degree in Public Policy of $83,181 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

This number may vary for many reasons. For instance, you may move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.

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

This degree is more popular with female students. About 60.9% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 95
Women 148
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Public Policy

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

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 108 44.4%
Asian 20 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 14 5.8%
Black or African American 37 15.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1 0.4%
Two or More Races 4 1.6%
Race Unknown 9 3.7%
International Students 50 20.6%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Public Policy Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 20.6% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 248 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Public Policy. Learn more about the most popular below:

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

The most popular school in the United States for Public Policy students seeking a doctor's degree is Duke University. This school awarded 278 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. This school awarded 235 doctor'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.

#3

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 227 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Maryland-College Park is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 224 doctor'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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 198 people received their doctor'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 doctor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 191 people received their doctor'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.

#7

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia-Main Campus is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 189 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Wisconsin-Madison is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 188 doctor'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 California-Los Angeles is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 175 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. This school awarded 170 doctor'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.

#11

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

Brandeis University comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. This school awarded 160 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 152 people received their doctor'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 is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 123 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 123 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Arizona State University Digital Immersion comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. During the most recent year for which we have data, 119 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#16

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Policy. This school awarded 118 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degree. This school awarded 113 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degree. This school awarded 108 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#19

American University

Washington, DC

American University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 98 doctor's degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#20

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University is a popular choice for Public Policy majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 89 people received their doctor's degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Policy here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Public Policy Concentrations

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

Below are some popular majors similar to Public Policy that also offer doctor’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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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