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Public Administration Doctor's Degree

Public Administration Doctor’s Degrees

A doctor’s degree in Public Administration is offered at 429 colleges in the United States, where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Public Administration. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about53% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 18.5% of Public Administration graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Public Administration Majors

In the most recent year for which data is available, 13,993 degrees were awarded toPublic 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 11,403
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 344

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

Federal data tracks the median salary for graduates with adoctor’s degree in Public Administration of $65,901 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.

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 doctor’s degree.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with female students. About 57.1% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 146
Women 194
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Public Administration

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

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 97 28.5%
Asian 8 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 20 5.9%
Black or African American 112 32.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1 0.3%
Two or More Races 8 2.4%
Race Unknown 31 9.1%
International Students 63 18.5%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Public Administration Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 18.5% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

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

Indiana University-Bloomington tops the list of the most popular schools in the U.S. for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 556 people received their doctor'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 is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 409 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 263 people received their doctor'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 comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 262 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 237 doctor'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.

#6

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 230 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Phoenix-Arizona comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 228 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#8

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN

Walden University comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 202 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 173 people received their doctor'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.

#10

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

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

University of Southern California comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 172 people received their doctor's degree in Public Administration from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio State University-Main Campus is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 171 doctor'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.

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 170 people received their doctor'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.

#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 169 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#15

American University

Washington, DC

American University comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 162 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor'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 doctor's degree. This school awarded 160 doctor'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 Central Florida is a popular choice for Public Administration majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 158 people received their doctor'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.

Texas A&M University-College Station comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. This school awarded 153 doctor's degrees in Public Administration in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Public Administration here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

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

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Public Administration. During the most recent year for which we have data, 145 people received their doctor'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.

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 doctor’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.

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