Public Administration Degree
45 schools compared · Average earnings $49,353/yr
Schools Offering
45
Avg Grad Earnings
$49,353/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
67/100
AI Automation Risk
High
51% task exposure
Best Schools for Public Administration
Top 45 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA |
93 87–95 |
$76,049/yr | High | 25.8x |
| 2 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD |
92 87–94 |
$74,053/yr | High | 22.2x |
| 3 | National University San Diego, CA |
89 85–89 |
$77,077/yr | High | 13.5x |
| 4 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC |
89 83–91 |
$56,445/yr | High | 32.8x |
| 5 | University of Phoenix-Arizona Phoenix, AZ |
87 83–88 |
$61,790/yr | High | 16.9x |
| 6 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH |
85 81–84 |
$73,129/yr | High | 10.1x |
| 7 | Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL |
85 80–87 |
$46,047/yr | High | 29.7x |
| 8 | Ashford University San Diego, CA |
84 81–82 |
$65,503/yr | High | 11.3x |
| 9 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY |
84 79–85 |
$48,881/yr | High | 18.3x |
| 10 | Florida International University Miami, FL |
84 78–86 |
$46,281/yr | High | 21.1x |
| 11 | California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA |
84 78–86 |
$45,471/yr | High | 22.2x |
| 12 | St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL |
84 78–86 |
$42,735/yr | High | 38.8x |
| 13 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA |
81 76–82 |
$56,674/yr | High | 12.2x |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI |
81 76–83 |
$44,951/yr | High | 17.0x |
| 15 | Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL |
81 75–83 |
$38,521/yr | High | 34.2x |
| 16 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN |
80 72–83 |
$47,013/yr | High | 14.9x |
| 17 | CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY |
80 76–80 |
$43,317/yr | High | 13.7x |
| 18 | University of Hawaii-West Oahu Kapolei, HI |
80 75–81 |
$42,481/yr | High | 16.6x |
| 19 | Barry University Miami, FL |
79 77–79 |
$103,107/yr | High | 4.4x |
| 20 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL |
79 73–81 |
$38,681/yr | High | 20.1x |
| 21 | Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA |
78 73–79 |
$61,104/yr | High | 9.0x |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI |
78 73–79 |
$43,632/yr | High | 13.5x |
| 23 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY |
78 70–81 |
$37,792/yr | High | 20.4x |
| 24 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA |
77 71–80 |
$48,396/yr | High | 11.8x |
| 25 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX |
77 73–76 |
$46,491/yr | High | 10.4x |
| 26 | Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN |
77 71–79 |
$43,110/yr | High | 13.6x |
| 27 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA |
77 72–78 |
$41,020/yr | High | 14.3x |
| 28 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA |
77 70–81 |
$36,626/yr | High | 23.0x |
| 29 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA |
75 69–78 |
$36,969/yr | High | 16.7x |
| 30 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA |
74 69–75 |
$68,682/yr | High | 3.3x |
| 31 | Kean University Union, NJ |
74 70–75 |
$45,850/yr | High | 9.3x |
| 32 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA |
74 68–76 |
$38,877/yr | High | 13.2x |
| 33 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX |
74 68–74 |
$38,358/yr | High | 12.6x |
| 34 | Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL |
73 70–73 |
$61,613/yr | High | 3.6x |
| 35 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI |
73 69–74 |
$46,301/yr | High | 7.2x |
| 36 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH |
73 66–76 |
$41,650/yr | High | 11.3x |
| 37 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH |
72 65–76 |
$45,278/yr | High | 9.4x |
| 38 | Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN |
70 64–73 |
$34,780/yr | High | 13.3x |
| 39 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ |
69 63–71 |
$39,136/yr | High | 9.5x |
| 40 | University of Oregon Eugene, OR |
68 62–71 |
$39,365/yr | High | 8.7x |
| 41 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY |
67 61–68 |
$53,912/yr | High | 2.0x |
| 42 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI |
67 62–68 |
$38,767/yr | High | 5.8x |
| 43 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX |
66 59–69 |
$36,328/yr | High | 8.9x |
| 44 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI |
65 59–67 |
$36,236/yr | High | 7.6x |
| 45 | Rhode Island College Providence, RI |
63 58–63 |
$32,409/yr | High | 6.4x |
Highest Earning Public Administration Programs
Schools where Public Administration graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry University | $103,107/yr | 79 | High |
| National University | $77,077/yr | 89 | High |
| California State University-Northridge | $76,049/yr | 93 | High |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | $74,053/yr | 92 | High |
| Southern New Hampshire University | $73,129/yr | 85 | High |
| California Baptist University | $68,682/yr | 74 | High |
| Ashford University | $65,503/yr | 84 | High |
| University of Phoenix-Arizona | $61,790/yr | 87 | High |
| Flagler College | $61,613/yr | 73 | High |
| Upper Iowa University | $61,104/yr | 78 | High |
Best ROI for Public Administration
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Public Administration.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Petersburg College | 38.8x | $42,735/yr | 84 |
| Indian River State College | 34.2x | $38,521/yr | 81 |
| Western Carolina University | 32.8x | $56,445/yr | 89 |
| Florida Atlantic University | 29.7x | $46,047/yr | 85 |
| California State University-Northridge | 25.8x | $76,049/yr | 93 |
| California State University-Fullerton | 23.0x | $36,626/yr | 77 |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | 22.2x | $74,053/yr | 92 |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills | 22.2x | $45,471/yr | 84 |
| Florida International University | 21.1x | $46,281/yr | 84 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 20.4x | $37,792/yr | 78 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Public Administration graduates earn?
Across 45 schools, Public Administration graduates earn an average of $49,353 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $32,409 to $103,107 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Public Administration?
Public Administration is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 51% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Public Administration program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), California State University-Northridge ranks #1 for Public Administration with a score of 93/100 and graduate earnings of $76,049/yr.
Is a Public Administration degree worth it?
On average, Public Administration graduates earn 14.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
About This Data
This page aggregates Public Administration programs across 45 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.