Public Administration Degree Guide
Public administrators promote urban development, implement public policies, and protect public safety. With a public administration degree, graduates can work in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Public administration programs prepare you for a career in public service. During a public administration degree program, you’ll take courses in government, business, and nonprofit management. While many public service majors work in federal, state, or local government roles, the degree also leads to opportunities in nonprofit organizations and private businesses.
If you’re interested in public service careers related to finance, public health, emergency management, and nonprofit management, you can benefit from the interdisciplinary approach of a public administration program.
What Is a Public Administration Degree?
As an academic and professional field, public administration covers the management and distribution of public resources, including taxpayer funds, government employees, and social programs. In a public administration degree program, you’ll learn about the intersecting concepts that impact public resource management.
You can earn a public administration degree at any level, from associate to doctorate. Key subjects you’ll cover include:
- Policy analysis
- Budget management
- Regulatory compliance
- Organizational behavior
Public administration degree programs develop strong leadership and communication skills, ensuring you can adequately support your community’s needs.
Types of Public Administration Concentrations
You can study public administration as a generalist degree or specialize in a concentrated area. Concentration tracks become more readily available at the graduate level, starting with master’s degrees. Some particularly common and popular concentration options include:
Emergency Management: Emergency management programs train students to respond to natural and human-made disasters. You’ll learn to manage and optimize the critical resources during crises.- Financial Management: Financial (or fiscal) management concentrations emphasize the controls and oversight mechanisms public administrators use to ensure the compliant distribution and tracking of taxpayer funds.
- Public Policy: Concentrations in public policy focus on data-driven, research-backed methods for analyzing the fairness and effectiveness of government initiatives. They combine aspects of data science, economics, political science, and sociology.
- Health Policy: A health policy specialization will take an interdisciplinary approach to making healthcare systems more accessible, affordable, efficient, and equitable.
Public Administration Degrees: From Associate to Doctorate
Colleges and universities offer public administration degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Each degree introduces you to core and advanced public administration concepts and prepares you for different career opportunities.
For example, a bachelor’s in public administration prepares you for entry-level public sector jobs, while a master’s degree opens doors for supervisory and leadership roles. This section introduces the different types of public administration degrees and describes the career opportunities of each pathway.
Associate Degree in Public Administration
- Program Length: 2 years
- Potential Jobs: Accounting clerk, administrative assistant, records clerk
An associate degree in public administration introduces you to the responsibilities of public administrators at different levels, including local administrators like city managers, state administration jobs, and federal public sector jobs.
You take courses in American government, state and local government, nonprofit management, and program assessment. At the associate degree level, you also build foundational skills in communication, mathematics, and business.
With a two-year associate degree, you can work as a city clerk, accounting clerk, or administrative assistant. You can also transfer into a four-year program to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration
- Program Length: 4 years
- Potential Jobs: Budget analyst, fundraising specialist, human resources specialist, research associate
A bachelor’s degree in public administration prepares you for entry-level roles in public, private, and nonprofit sector jobs. The degree builds strong research, analytical, and critical thinking skills. As a public administration major, you study policy analysis, public financial management, and public program evaluation. Some programs offer concentrations in emergency management, public management, and financial management.
Bachelor’s in public administration programs typically take four years to complete. In addition to public administration courses, you’ll complete general education requirements that build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. After earning your degree, you can find work as a case manager, regional planner, policy analyst, and budget analyst.
Master’s Degree in Public Administration
- Program Length: 2 years
- Potential Jobs: Compliance officer, healthcare administrator, policy analyst, social or community services manager
A master of public administration (MPA) offers focused, graduate-level training for public service careers. During a master’s program, you learn how to evaluate public policies, research community needs, manage public sector budgets, and design strategic plans. The degree builds strong analytical skills through research projects and a master’s thesis.
Earning an MPA typically takes two years of full-time study. MPA graduates can work as city managers, community service managers, emergency planners, and public health administrators.
Doctorate in Public Administration
- Program Length: 4-5 years
- Potential Jobs: Municipal manager, program director, public administration professor, public policy researcher
A doctorate in public administration prepares you for academic, research, and leadership roles in the field. You focus on theoretical or applied public administration and conduct research in your focus areas. Some programs train you as a practitioner, while others focus on training you for careers in research and academia.
Each doctoral candidate must pass examinations and write a dissertation. The degree typically takes 3-4 years. After earning your doctorate, you can work as a city manager, program director, public administration professor, or public policy researcher.
What to Consider Before Applying to a Public Administration Program
Before you spend time and money preparing your public administration degree application, ensure the program aligns with your expectations. Prioritize these three factors in particular:
- 1
Accreditation for Public Administration Programs
When researching public administration programs, you should always choose a degree program from an accredited college. Regionally accredited schools meet the highest educational standards for granting degrees.
In addition to college accreditation, you should also pursue accredited public administration programs. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration grants accreditation to public administration programs.
- 2
Ensure Your Area of Interest Is Offered
If you want to pursue a career in a specific area, such as emergency management or public policy, review the curriculum to see which specializations the program supports. Many schools offer pre-planned concentration tracks, but you may have the option of self-designing a specialization by using your electives strategically.
In the latter case, review elective course offerings to see how well they align with your learning goals. Also, check to see how many elective slots the curriculum allows.
- 3
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate students typically require a high school diploma or the equivalent, plus an academic record that meets the school’s standards. A background in mathematics may benefit you, especially for programs involving coursework in government accounting, data analytics, and/or finance.
Graduate public administration programs often accept applicants from diverse academic backgrounds. However, an undergraduate public administration degree may strengthen your application. You may also benefit from holding a degree in a related area, such as accounting, economics, finance, political science, or sociology.
Common undergraduate application requirements include:
- Official transcripts
- Letters of recommendation
- Standardized test scores, such as the ACT or SAT
- A personal statement or essay
What Can You Do With a Public Administration Degree?
Public administration graduates often work in public service roles, including at the state and local levels. After earning the degree, you can find work in government, social services, regional planning, public relations, and public policy roles. Some popular career paths include city manager, budget analyst, public administration consultant, and community service manager.
Since these programs also help you develop strong communication and analytical skills, you can find opportunities in business and education. And depending on your public administration focus area, this degree can open the door to careers in emergency management, disaster response, and public health administration.
| Public Administration Career | Median Annual Salary (2024) | Projected Job Growth (2023-33) | Minimum Degree Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | $140,360 | +2% | Bachelor’s |
| Human Resources Managers | $140,030 | +6% | Bachelor’s |
| Public Relations and Fundraising Managers | $132,870 | +7% | Bachelor’s |
| Top Executives | $105,350 | +6% | Bachelor’s |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $117,960 | +29% | Bachelor’s |
| Administrative Service Managers | $106,880 | +6% | Bachelor’s |
| Postsecondary Education Administrators | $103,960 | +3% | Master’s degree |
| Social and Community Service Managers | $78,240 | +8% | Bachelor’s |
| Public Relations Specialists | $69,780 | +6% | Bachelor’s |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | $66,700 | +3% | Bachelor’s |
Public Administration Degree Salary
The salary you can earn with a public administration degree varies widely according to factors including your position title, experience, location, and the dynamics of your local labor market.
As the table below illustrates, your degree level can also impact your earning potential. According to 2023 data analyzed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), professionals with a master’s degree in public administration earn a 25% higher starting salary, on average, than professionals with a bachelor’s degree.
| Public Administration Degree Level | Mean Starting Salary for Public Administration Majors (2023) |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | $49,570 |
| Master’s | $62,290 |
How Much Does a Public Administration Degree Cost?
The average cost of tuition for a bachelor’s public administration degree ranges from about $7,800 to $10,300, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), depending on whether the program is online or campus-based. However, as with any degree, costs can vary significantly based on several factors, including:
- Degree level
- School status as a public or private institution
- School prestige and program demand
Delivery format can also impact both tuition rates and your cost of attendance, with online programs tending to offer significant savings. Explore data and details in the table below:
Frequently Asked Questions About Public Administration Degrees
No. While public administration and business degrees overlap in their coverage of accounting, finance, human resources, organizational management, and leadership, public administration is not generally considered a business field due to its policy-based emphasis on the public sector.
