Public Administration at Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Master's Degree · about 97 graduates a year

$73,260
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$98,798
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$81,408
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#22 of 243
Rank by pay
#16 of 243
Rank, wage-adjusted
$44,568
Median federal debt

Northwestern University graduates in public administration earn 21% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 45% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Northwestern University Compares for Public Administration

All 243 colleges reporting public administration earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Harvard University Cambridge, MA$177,149$155,998#1$133,307
2Anna Maria College Paxton, MA$123,207$108,497#5$110,456
3Golden Gate University San Francisco, CA$122,598$111,556#3$91,136
4Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD$122,517$107,523#6$83,974
5Calumet College of Saint Joseph Whiting, IN$121,754$130,620#2$111,396
6Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$115,874$110,288#4$89,478
7George Washington University Washington, DC$113,891$99,798#13$78,177
8New York University New York, NY$109,946$104,646#8$82,887
9San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA$108,093$98,358#14$85,122
10Syracuse University Syracuse, NY$107,868$102,668#9$82,788
…
19Portland State University Portland, OR$99,801$100,389#12$73,655
20University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA$99,141$90,212#33$87,976
21Bowie State University Bowie, MD$98,800$86,709#51$73,949
22Northwestern University Evanston, IL$98,798$97,068#16$73,260
23California Baptist University Riverside, CA$98,056$89,225#38$79,952
24Post University Waterbury, CT$97,596$87,868#46$68,873
25University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN$97,311$92,953#25$92,069

Other Majors at Northwestern University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Business Administration, Management and Operations$244,399$224,402#4 of 861
Business/Commerce$240,637$188,890#2 of 75
Engineering$211,469$162,147#1 of 16
Computer Science$197,823—#7 of 48
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies$189,578$124,451#8 of 12
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$180,186$140,444#5 of 92
Community Organization and Advocacy$168,632$130,419#1 of 10
Information Science/Studies$141,026$131,093#10 of 71
Engineering-Related Fields$136,480$144,879#11 of 40
Medical Illustration and Informatics$132,068$112,816#3 of 27
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$130,944$107,097#79 of 216
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$129,403$93,115—
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs$126,571$96,837#1 of 7
Science Technologies/Technicians$125,048$83,471—
Communication and Media Studies$116,101$87,012#2 of 61
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$116,019$89,054#2 of 20
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences$110,591$99,283#5 of 19
Legal Professions and Studies$102,193$69,797#2 of 11
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$96,250$82,421#5 of 29
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$95,167$80,670#36 of 40
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$85,999$47,186#11 of 211
Mechanical Engineering—$83,978—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$83,218$67,518#4 of 204
Public Health$82,202$66,859#86 of 201
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$82,178$58,537#3 of 165
Educational Administration and Supervision$78,655$60,945#108 of 453
Biotechnology—$75,972—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$71,781$62,757#67 of 243
Journalism$70,715$46,346#14 of 22
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management$69,411$47,523#7 of 21

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Northwestern University public administration graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $73,260 one year after graduating and $98,798 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Northwestern University rank for public administration?

Among 243 colleges reporting earnings for public administration graduates, Northwestern University ranks #22 by median pay four years after graduation, and #16 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is public administration at Northwestern University worth it?

Its graduates earn 21% more than the national median for public administration ($81,408), and the median federal debt at graduation is $44,568.

← All data for Northwestern University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.