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Public Policy Analysis at Princeton University

Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
60 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
62
Optimistic
60
Base Case
53
Pessimistic
Earnings $73,630/yr (59% vs median)
AI Risk High (49% exposed)
Job Market Very Large (107,800 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Public Policy Analysis graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $1,051K $774K $536K
Earnings Multiple 4.4x 3.2x 2.2x
Viable Career Paths 8 of 8 8 of 8 8 of 8
DegreeWorth Score 62 60 53

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$238,840
Median Debt at Graduation
$10,527
1.7 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$98,995
34% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Public Policy Analysis graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 107,800 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Political scientists $139,380 500 -3.1% 48%
Medical and health services managers $117,960 62,100 +23.2% 43%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary $105,620 27,400 +17.3% 48%
Social scientists and related workers, all other $100,340 3,200 -1.7% 52%
Political science teachers, postsecondary $94,680 1,600 +2.0% 48%
Education teachers, postsecondary $72,090 5,600 +2.1% 49%
Social science research assistants $58,040 5,200 +4.4% 67%
Legislators $44,810 2,200 +3.4% 40%

Compare & Explore

Public Policy Analysis at Other Schools

Cornell University ($77,906) Dickinson College ($61,592) Duke University ($60,501) University of Chicago ($60,057) Brown University ($58,161) Vanderbilt University ($57,023) Trinity College ($56,902) Hamilton College ($56,158)

Other Majors at Princeton University

Computer Science ($146,624) Economics ($103,041) Operations Research ($100,354) Mechanical Engineering ($85,328) Political Science and Government ($63,317) Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology ($53,038) Research and Experimental Psychology ($47,050) History ($45,363)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Public Policy Analysis at Princeton University?
This program scores 60/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 62 (optimistic) to 53 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Public Policy Analysis career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Public Policy Analysis graduates retain 8 of 8 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $536,466 (pessimistic) to $1,050,629 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Public Policy Analysis graduates?
The career paths mapped to Public Policy Analysis have roughly 107,800 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Public Policy Analysis at Princeton University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 3.2x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 2.2x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
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. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.