Salary and Benefits of MPA/MPP Graduates
MPA/MPP Degree Boosts Salaries of Graduates
Pay and benefit statistics about MPA/MPP graduates are very limited across the world. The United States is one of the few countries which has systematic collection of data about salaries of graduates with different degrees. Therefore, the pay and benefits information in this section mostly refers to MPA/MPP graduates (including foreign students) working in U.S.
Salary Statistics and Trends of MPA/MPP Graduates in U.S.
The general salary data indicates that a masters degree substantially improves pay and benefit level of graduates. The U.S. Bureau of Census reports that in 2004 for people 25 years and over, the median income was $52,581 for a Bachelor’s Degree and $67,361 for a Master’s Degree. In overall a Masters Degree earned 28.1 percent more than a bachelor’s degree. The following table includes salary data for MPA/MPP graduates by different types of job and position.
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Job Type
|
Salary Range
|
Median Salary
|
|
Executive Director of a non-profit
|
$34,000 - $66,500
|
$60,000
|
|
Human Resources Director
|
$79,525 - $97,750
|
$88,000
|
|
Management Analyst |
$43,750 - $56,163
|
$51,000
|
|
Policy Analyst
|
$35,000 - $53,844
|
$45,000
|
|
Consultant, Business
|
$57,500 - $74,500
|
$60,000
|
|
Program Administrator in an non-profit
|
$40,000 - $55,000
|
$40,000
|
|
Director of Program Management, Human Services
|
$55,000 - $70,000
|
$60,000
|
|
Purchasing Manager
|
$48,750 - $56,250
|
$52,500
|
|
Entry-Level Federal Position (Grade 11)
|
$46,189 - $60,049
|
$53,000
|
|
Mid-Career Federal Position (Grade 13)
|
$65,832 - $85,578
|
$75,000
|
|
Source: US Office of Personal Management and Pay
Scale
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The comparative salary statistics from the Baruch College
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| Baruch College. 2003. | |
Salary and Benefits in Not-for-Profits
Non-profits are one of the main sectors where many MPA/MPP graduates end up making their careers. The survey of 3,000 non-profits in US to find out what their managers were earning revealed that salaries in non-profits are as good as in many other sectors. The table below includes average annual salary and bonus information for different positions in non-profits.
|
Position
|
Salary ($)
|
Bonus ($)
|
|
Top government- affairs executive
|
100,400
|
9,119
|
|
Top development executive
|
86,500
|
6,000
|
|
Top program executive
|
85,250
|
6,909
|
|
Top publications executive
|
71,295
|
3,722
|
|
Top grant administrator
|
60,000
|
650
|
|
Top membership executive
|
70,135
|
3,715
|
|
Director of chapter/affiliate
|
76,613
|
6,314
|
|
Director of volunteer services
|
41,650
|
2,227
|
|
Research director
|
66,091
|
--
|
|
Fundraising manager
|
49,341
|
1,859
|
|
Top marketing executive
|
89,000
|
4,890
|
|
Top research executive
|
101,800
|
10,000
|
|
Research manager
|
58,973
|
2,500
|
|
Production director
|
56,650
|
--
|
|
Program director
|
52,500
|
1,464
|
|
Education director
|
59,817
|
3,500
|
|
MIS director
|
80,000
|
5,974
|
|
Web-site director
|
60,261
|
4,200
|
|
Special-events planner
|
41,600
|
1,742
|
|
Advertising director
|
75,886
|
--
|
|
Advertising manager
|
52,138
|
--
|
|
Marketing director
|
63,856
|
4,214
|
|
Marketing manager
|
45,000
|
1,000
|
|
Managing editor
|
58,000
|
2,867
|
|
Systems analyst
|
55,568
|
2,867
|
|
Grant-proposal manager
|
48,740
|
--
|
|
Editor
|
45,000
|
2,736
|
|
Writer
|
40,183
|
1,200
|
|
Fulfillment manager
|
46,913
|
--
|
|
Source: The Nonprofit Times. (2002 Salary Survey).
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The Occupational Outlook Handbook (published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, ) is a nationally recognized source of career information designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every 2 years and describes working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.
