Public Administration at Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Master's Degree · about 130 graduates a year

$61,190
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$100,325
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$81,408
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#16 of 243
Rank by pay
#17 of 243
Rank, wage-adjusted
$51,608
Median federal debt

Cornell University graduates in public administration earn 23% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 51% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Cornell 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
…
13University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$104,073$105,843#7$83,208
14University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$103,721$94,379#20$78,453
15George Mason University Fairfax, VA$100,692$91,689#28$78,076
16Cornell University Ithaca, NY$100,325$95,489#17$61,190
17California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA$99,879$90,883#29$84,881
18Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY$99,846$95,033#18$84,712
19Portland State University Portland, OR$99,801$100,389#12$73,655

Other Majors at Cornell University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$235,762$153,588#2 of 48
Business Administration, Management and Operations$226,632$179,274#9 of 861
Operations Research$203,340$125,810—
Computer and Information Sciences$196,882$123,586#4 of 78
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$163,586—#2 of 216
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$156,103$123,494#11 of 62
Human Resources Management and Services$155,909$112,291#1 of 159
Systems Engineering$142,846$117,455#16 of 27
Health and Medical Administrative Services$141,532$82,997#14 of 211
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$132,449$102,439#8 of 25
Mechanical Engineering$128,130$99,587#18 of 83
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$120,467$78,844#6 of 40
Hospitality Administration/Management$105,553—#1 of 12
Civil Engineering$90,197$81,361#66 of 81
Real Estate—$89,132—
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$86,756$64,623#10 of 36
Engineering-Related Fields—$83,323—
Architecture$83,284—#5 of 50
Architectural Sciences and Technology$76,785$67,278#16 of 30
Landscape Architecture$74,689$61,261#3 of 7

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Cornell University public administration graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $61,190 one year after graduating and $100,325 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Cornell University rank for public administration?

Among 243 colleges reporting earnings for public administration graduates, Cornell University ranks #16 by median pay four years after graduation, and #17 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is public administration at Cornell University worth it?

Its graduates earn 23% more than the national median for public administration ($81,408), and the median federal debt at graduation is $51,608.

← All data for Cornell 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.