Master's+40% vs national median449 grads tracked
Public Administration and Social Service Professions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Ranked 15th of 180 master's programs in Public Administration and Social Service Professions by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$70,544
middle 50%: $54,247 – $94,303
Median · 5 years out
$91,476
middle 50%: $68,476 – $125,381
Median · 10 years out
$110,446
middle 50%: $85,454 – $143,897
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
Virginia Tech's Public Administration master's graduates earn a median $71k in year one. By year ten, median earnings reach $110k, outperforming national medians by 40% at year five.
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
4.4 yrs
≈ $4,762 total interest
Same major at other universities
CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College
$98,535 · 5 yrs out
College of William & Mary
$96,105 · 5 yrs out
Northern Illinois University
$95,329 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Dallas
$92,196 · 5 yrs out
University of Massachusetts at Boston
$92,187 · 5 yrs out
Penn State World Campus
$91,987 · 5 yrs out
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
$89,278 · 5 yrs out
Georgia Institute of Technology
$88,072 · 5 yrs out
Sam Houston State University
$87,772 · 5 yrs out
University of South Dakota
$87,051 · 5 yrs out
Kent State University
$84,962 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M University
$84,719 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$160,426 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$155,674 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$148,193 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$132,072 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$130,533 · 5 yrs out
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$129,123 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$121,443 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$119,838 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Master's)
$116,512 · 5 yrs out
Education (Doctorate)
$109,749 · 5 yrs out