Public Policy Analysis: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Public Policy Analysis equips students with the analytical tools to evaluate complex societal challenges and assess the effectiveness of policy interventions. This program emphasizes rigorous, evidence-based approaches to understanding how decisions are made in government and public institutions, with a focus on improving outcomes through data-driven strategies.
- Economic and political factors in policy formation: Examines how market dynamics, political systems, and power structures shape the development and implementation of public policies across different levels of government.
- Microeconomic analysis of policy issues: Applies microeconomic principles to assess individual and organizational behavior in response to policy changes, including incentives, market distortions, and efficiency trade-offs.
- Resource allocation and decision modeling: Explores frameworks for distributing limited public resources efficiently, using quantitative models to simulate outcomes under various policy scenarios.
- Cost-benefit analysis: Teaches systematic methods for evaluating the economic impacts of policies by comparing anticipated costs against expected benefits, often incorporating time value and risk assessment.
- Statistical methods and data analysis: Develops proficiency in advanced statistical techniques to interpret policy-relevant data, test hypotheses, and support empirical decision-making.
- Applied policy topics: Integrates theoretical knowledge with real-world case studies in areas such as healthcare, education, environmental regulation, urban development, and social welfare.
Public Policy Analysis Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Public Policy Analysis Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Public Policy Analysis degrees, including Political Scientists, Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary and Social Science Research Assistants. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 82,570 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Scientists 19-3094 | $139,380 | $74,750 - $191,880 | 5,950 | $67.01 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1065 | $94,680 | $50,490 - $173,380 | 17,170 | N/A |
| Social Science Research Assistants 19-4061 | $58,040 | $36,410 - $100,620 | 32,940 | $27.90 |
| Legislators 11-1031 | $44,810 | $20,380 - $137,820 | 26,510 | N/A |
Public Policy Analysis Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $39,610 in Idaho to $105,673 in District of Columbia—a 167% difference. The highest-paying states include District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Washington. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 82,570 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Public Policy Analysis by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Public Policy Analysis programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Public Policy Analysis is found at Duke University (278 graduates), University of Michigan (U‑M), Ann Arbor (235 graduates), Princeton University (227 graduates), University of Maryland (UMCP), College Park (224 graduates), and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill (198 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 5,210 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
278 | Durham, North Carolina | Private | duke.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
235 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| Princeton University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
227 | Princeton, New Jersey | Private | princeton.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMCP) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
224 | College Park, Maryland | Public | umd.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
198 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Public | unc.edu |
| University of Virginia (UVA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
189 | Charlottesville, Virginia | Public | virginia.edu |
| University of California (UCLA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
175 | Los Angeles, California | Public | ucla.edu |
| Harvard University |
Master's
|
156 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | harvard.edu |
| University of Southern California (USC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
139 | Los Angeles, California | Private | usc.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Master's
Other Award
|
134 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| University of Chicago (UChicago) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
125 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | uchicago.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
|
123 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
120 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Arizona State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
119 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| Liberty University |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
118 | Lynchburg, Virginia | Private | liberty.edu |
| University of California (UCR) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
108 | Riverside, California | Public | ucr.edu |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
105 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| American University (AU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
98 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | american.edu |
| George Mason University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
87 | Fairfax, Virginia | Public | www2.gmu.edu |
| Georgetown University (GU) |
Master's
|
86 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | georgetown.edu |
| George Washington University (GW) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
71 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | gwu.edu |
| Cornell University |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
69 | Ithaca, New York | Private | cornell.edu |
| University of California (UCSD) |
Master's
|
67 | La Jolla, California | Public | ucsd.edu |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
64 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gatech.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Master's
|
62 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| Empire State University |
Bachelor's
|
61 | Saratoga Springs, New York | Public | sunyempire.edu |
| William & Mary (W&M) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
60 | Williamsburg, Virginia | Public | wm.edu |
| University of Rhode Island (URI) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
50 | Kingston, Rhode Island | Public | web.uri.edu |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
50 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
| Johns Hopkins University (JHU) |
Master's
|
49 | Baltimore, Maryland | Private | jhu.edu |
| Trinity College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
48 | Hartford, Connecticut | Private | trincoll.edu |
| University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) |
Bachelor's
|
48 | University, Mississippi | Public | olemiss.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
48 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| Brandeis University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
46 | Waltham, Massachusetts | Private | brandeis.edu |
| Brown University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
46 | Providence, Rhode Island | Private | brown.edu |
| Stanford University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
46 | Stanford, California | Private | stanford.edu |
| Oregon State University (OSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
44 | Corvallis, Oregon | Public | oregonstate.edu |
| Northwestern University |
Bachelor's
|
40 | Evanston, Illinois | Private | northwestern.edu |
| University of Delaware (UD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
38 | Newark, Delaware | Public | udel.edu |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
37 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
36 | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts | Public | umassd.edu |
| Georgia State University |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
35 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gsu.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
Other Award
|
34 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| University of Denver (DU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
33 | Denver, Colorado | Private | du.edu |
| Rice University |
Bachelor's
|
33 | Houston, Texas | Private | rice.edu |
| Temple University |
Master's
|
32 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Public | temple.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Bachelor's
|
30 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| University of Southern Maine (USM) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
29 | Portland, Maine | Public | usm.maine.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
29 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) |
Master's
|
28 | Storrs, Connecticut | Public | uconn.edu |
| Pepperdine University |
Master's
|
27 | Malibu, California | Private | pepperdine.edu |
| Adler University |
Master's
|
27 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | adler.edu |
| University at Albany (UAlbany) |
Bachelor's
|
27 | Albany, New York | Public | albany.edu |
| Regent University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
27 | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Private | regent.edu |
| University of Kentucky (UK) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
26 | Lexington, Kentucky | Public | uky.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
25 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Master's
|
25 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| Vanderbilt University (VU) |
Bachelor's
|
25 | Nashville, Tennessee | Private | vanderbilt.edu |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) |
Bachelor's
|
25 | Dallas, Texas | Private | smu.edu |
| Gettysburg College |
Bachelor's
|
24 | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Private | gettysburg.edu |
| Jacksonville University (JU) |
Master's
|
22 | Jacksonville, Florida | Private | ju.edu |
| Stony Brook University (SBU) |
Master's
|
22 | Stony Brook, New York | Public | stonybrook.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
22 | Richardson, Texas | Public | utdallas.edu |
| Southern University and A & M College (SUBR) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Public | subr.edu |
| Hamilton College |
Bachelor's
|
21 | Clinton, New York | Private | hamilton.edu |
| Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
21 | Rochester, New York | Private | rit.edu |
| Pomona College |
Bachelor's
|
19 | Claremont, California | Private | pomona.edu |
| DePaul University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
19 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | depaul.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMBC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
19 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umbc.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
19 | Camden, New Jersey | Public | camden.rutgers.edu |
| University of Houston (UH) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
18 | Houston, Texas | Public | uh.edu |
| University of Utah (U of U) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
18 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | utah.edu |
| American Public University System (APUS) |
Master's
|
17 | Charles Town, West Virginia | Private | apus.edu |
| University of California (UCI) |
Master's
|
15 | Irvine, California | Public | uci.edu |
| Washington University in St Louis (WashU) |
Master's
|
15 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | wustl.edu |
| Portland State University (PSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
15 | Portland, Oregon | Public | pdx.edu |
| University of Alaska (UAF) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
|
13 | Fairbanks, Alaska | Public | uaf.edu |
| University of Nevada (UNLV) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
12 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Public | unlv.edu |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Master's
|
12 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
| Tennessee State University (TSU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
12 | Nashville, Tennessee | Public | tnstate.edu |
| Marshall University |
Master's
|
12 | Huntington, West Virginia | Public | marshall.edu |
| Claremont McKenna College (CMC) |
Bachelor's
|
11 | Claremont, California | Private | cmc.edu |
| University of Redlands |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
11 | Redlands, California | Private | redlands.edu |
| Boise State University (BBU) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
11 | Boise, Idaho | Public | boisestate.edu |
| University of Northern Iowa (UNI) |
Master's
|
11 | Cedar Falls, Iowa | Public | uni.edu |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) |
Bachelor's
|
11 | St. Mary's City, Maryland | Public | smcm.edu |
| University of New Hampshire (UNH) |
Master's
|
11 | Durham, New Hampshire | Public | unh.edu |
| Dallas Baptist University (DBU) |
Bachelor's
|
11 | Dallas, Texas | Private | dbu.edu |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) |
Master's
|
10 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | calpoly.edu |
| Tufts University |
Master's
|
10 | Medford, Massachusetts | Private | tufts.edu |
| Michigan Technological University (MTU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
10 | Houghton, Michigan | Public | mtu.edu |
| Rowan University |
Other Award
|
10 | Glassboro, New Jersey | Public | rowan.edu |
| Lehigh University |
Master's
|
10 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Private | lehigh.edu |
| Simmons University |
Master's
|
9 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | simmons.edu |
| St Catherine University (St. Kate’s) |
Bachelor's
|
9 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Private | stkate.edu |
| University of Washington (UW Bothell) |
Master's
|
8 | Bothell, Washington | Public | uwb.edu |
| Walden University |
Postbac Cert.
|
7 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Private | waldenu.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
7 | Boston, Massachusetts | Public | umb.edu |
| Missouri State University |
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
7 | Springfield, Missouri | Public | missouristate.edu |
| University of New Mexico (UNM) |
Master's
|
7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Public | unm.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Public Policy Analysis programs
How much can I earn with a Public Policy Analysis degree?
Salaries for Public Policy Analysis graduates vary by role and location. Political Scientists earn a median of $139,380 annually, while Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $94,680. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in District of Columbia average $105,673 compared to $39,610 in Idaho. Approximately 82,570 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Public Policy Analysis programs?
Currently 163 accredited institutions offer Public Policy Analysis degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Duke University (278 graduates), University of Michigan (U‑M), Ann Arbor (235 graduates), and Princeton University (227 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Public Policy Analysis growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 3,825 in 2010 to a peak of 5,623 in 2020, before declining slightly to 5,419 in 2023-24. This represents a 42% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Public Policy Analysis degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Political Scientists, Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary, and Social Science Research Assistants. Related occupations employ approximately 82,570 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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