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Public Administration

Types of Degrees Public Administration Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Public Administration can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	27
Associate’s Degree	88
Bachelor’s Degree	2,130
Master’s Degree	11,403
Doctor’s Degree	344

What Public Administration Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Public Administration emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Administration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Public Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Public Administration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Public Administration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Administration graduates include:

• Project Coordinator
• Station Manager
• Telegraph Office Manager
• Distribution Superintendent
• Program Manager
• Laundry Superintendent
• Gym Manager
• Publication Director
• Fish and Game Club Manager
• Home Service Director
• Membership Director
• Compliance Director
• Generating Plant Superintendent
• Plant Assigner
• Dog Races Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public Administration graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	48.4%
Master’s degree	15.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.4%
Some college courses	5.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
Doctoral degree	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 58.4% women and 41.6% men among Public Administration graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,178	58.4%
Men	5,815	41.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,236	44.6%
Asian	611	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	2,219	15.9%
Black or African American	2,216	15.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	70	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	55	0.4%
Two or More Races	489	3.5%
Race Unknown	670	4.8%
International Students	1,427	10.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Administration Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Public Administration graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

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

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,920 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Public Administration Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Public Administration. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	10	4
Bachelor’s	37	19
Master’s	142	73
Doctoral (Research)	8	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Public Administration Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Public Administration graduates earn a median of $65,901 four years after completion — roughly 73% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Social Services Public Administration	44
Community Organization and Advocacy	44.02
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other	44.99
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS	44.00
Public Policy Analysis	44.05
Social Work	44.07

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• 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.