Master's+20% vs national median264 grads tracked
Public Administration and Social Service Professions at James Madison University
Ranked 39th of 180 master's programs in Public Administration and Social Service Professions by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$57,052
middle 50%: $45,365 – $72,871
Median · 5 years out
$78,677
middle 50%: $60,404 – $99,994
Median · 10 years out
$88,193
middle 50%: $73,228 – $122,926
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Public Administration and Social Service Professions (master's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Public administration master's graduates start with a median salary of $57k. This grows to $88k by the tenth year.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
5.3 yrs
≈ $5,855 total interest
Same major at other universities
Pennsylvania State University (The)
$79,787 · 5 yrs out
DePaul University
$79,697 · 5 yrs out
Clemson University
$79,517 · 5 yrs out
Midwestern State University
$79,314 · 5 yrs out
Bridgewater State University
$79,121 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
$78,929 · 5 yrs out
University of Oregon
$78,529 · 5 yrs out
Oregon State University
$78,372 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Lehman College
$77,554 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M International University
$77,524 · 5 yrs out
SUNY College at Brockport
$77,312 · 5 yrs out
Wright State University
$77,044 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at James Madison University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$149,041 · 5 yrs out
Psychology (Doctorate)
$113,393 · 5 yrs out
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's)
$109,323 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$108,391 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$107,900 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$105,157 · 5 yrs out
Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor's)
$101,995 · 5 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's)
$101,563 · 5 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)
$97,528 · 5 yrs out
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)
$97,305 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Bachelor's)
$94,450 · 5 yrs out
Engineering, General (Bachelor's)
$94,450 · 5 yrs out