Public Policy Analysis at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Bachelor's Degree · about 54 graduates a year

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Median pay 1 year after graduating
$66,177
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$73,721
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#21 of 34
Rank by pay
#24 of 34
Rank, wage-adjusted
$15,500
Median federal debt

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduates in public policy analysis earn 10% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 23% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Compares for Public Policy Analysis

All 34 colleges reporting public policy analysis 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
1Cornell University Ithaca, NY$126,767$120,656#1$77,906
2Princeton University Princeton, NJ$107,792$94,607#5$73,630
3Duke University Durham, NC$103,071$110,610#2$60,501
4Brown University Providence, RI$94,962$93,528#6$58,161
5University of Chicago Chicago, IL$94,237$92,587#7$60,057
6Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN$91,265$99,697#4$57,023
7University of Mississippi University, MS$85,338$103,542#3$40,259
8Trinity College Hartford, CT$82,638$74,401#11$56,902
9Northwestern University Evanston, IL$78,752$77,373#10$48,558
10Brandeis University Waltham, MA$75,580$66,556#17$39,943
…
18St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD$69,232$60,759#23$43,629
19William & Mary Williamsburg, VA$69,118$62,938#21$36,703
20The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX$66,209$67,315#16$43,837
21Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA$66,177$60,260#24—
22Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH$65,894$70,319#14$50,643
23University of Delaware Newark, DE$65,776$65,382#19$36,796
24University of Connecticut Storrs, CT$64,389$57,971#27$33,424

Other Majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$144,103$96,432#19 of 459
Computer Engineering$122,026$86,636#33 of 189
Applied Mathematics$117,990$82,275#8 of 45
Industrial Engineering$116,641$82,437#5 of 94
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$108,726$77,877#16 of 126
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$106,633$76,856#9 of 59
Chemical Engineering$106,011$82,382#25 of 158
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$104,839$83,364#63 of 258
Finance and Financial Management Services$102,902$66,601#38 of 452
Construction Engineering$102,699$82,627#5 of 13
Engineering Mechanics$101,509$81,735—
Accounting and Related Services$99,528$70,303#54 of 796
Mechanical Engineering$96,376$78,280#70 of 318
Real Estate$95,576$68,078#7 of 25
Business/Managerial Economics$95,271—#13 of 84
Construction Management$95,165$76,246#23 of 57
Mining and Mineral Engineering$94,397$74,793#5 of 7
Statistics$94,300$62,598#20 of 50
Physics$92,746$58,061#18 of 107
Economics$92,653$56,261#92 of 368
Materials Engineering$90,828$66,888#20 of 34
Agricultural Engineering$88,315$75,434#8 of 26
Civil Engineering$88,142$74,285#73 of 233
Marketing$86,338$56,417#43 of 516
Engineering-Related Fields$81,618$56,513#30 of 33
Food Science and Technology$80,161$56,274#5 of 29
Business Administration, Management and Operations$80,023$60,678#140 of 1176
Political Science and Government$75,687$42,114#59 of 565
Architecture$75,074$56,708#12 of 78
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,005$25,414#1 of 50

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University public policy analysis graduates make?

Graduates earn $66,177 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University rank for public policy analysis?

Among 34 colleges reporting earnings for public policy analysis graduates, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks #21 by median pay four years after graduation, and #24 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is public policy analysis at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 10% less than the national median for public policy analysis ($73,721), and the median federal debt at graduation is $15,500.

← All data for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State 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.