Public Policy Analysis at St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, MD · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
61
Optimistic
58
Base Case
52
Pessimistic
Earnings
$43,629/yr (-6% 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 | $702K | $482K | $318K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 11.5x | 7.9x | 5.2x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 5.6x | 3.8x | 2.5x |
| Viable Career Paths | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 61 | 58 | 52 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$60,944
Out-of-state: $125,248
Median Debt at Graduation
$22,750
6.3 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$64,347
47% 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
Other Majors at St. Mary's College of Maryland
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Public Policy Analysis at St. Mary's College of Maryland?
This program scores 58/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 61 (optimistic) to 52 (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 $317,880 (pessimistic) to $702,094 (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 St. Mary's College of Maryland worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 7.9x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 5.2x. 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.