M.P.A. Representative Employers
PRIVATE SECTOR
- Behavioral Insights Team
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Deloitte Consulting
- Deutsche Bank
- Grant Thornton
- S&P Global
- Techstars
NON-PROFIT DOMESTIC
- American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota
- California Policy Lab
- Carter Center
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- National Wildlife Federation
- Second Harvest Heartland
STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning/Budgeting
- California Department of Finance
- California Department of Public Health
- City of Syracuse
- Maryland Department of Budget and Management
- New York State Department of Health
- New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
- New York State Senate
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- Rhode Island Office of Management & Budget
- Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- Defense Finance Accounting Service
- U.S. Military Branches: Army, Coast Guard, Air Force
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Government Accounting Office
INTERNATIONAL
- Amsterdam City Government
- United Nations
- World Bank
- Asian Development Bank
LEGAL
- Monroe County District Attorney’s Office
- New York Court of Appeals
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Vera Institute of Justice
M.P.A. Representative Job Titles
- Accounting, Budgeting and Finance
- Budget Analyst, Economist Finance and Policy Analyst
- Advocacy and Organizing
- Advocacy Manager, Campaign Manager, Community Development and Outreach Associate, Child Hunger Program Specialist
- Diplomacy
- Diplomat, Foreign Service Officer
- Evaluation and Research
- Data Analyst, Housing Policy Analyst, Research Analyst, Transportation Analyst
- Fellowships
- Excelsior Fellow (New York State), Leadership Fellow, Management Fellow, Policy Fellow
- Foundations and Fundraising
- Foundation Relations Officer; Manager, Grants and Evaluation
- Health
- Health Systems Specialist; Public Health Program Coordinator, Climate Change
- Legal
- Assistant District Attorney, Supreme Court Law Clerk
- Organizational Administration
- Project Manager, Operations Manager, Management Operations Analyst, Master of Cybersecurity
- Politica
- Policy Advisor, Environment and Climate Change; Political Coordinator
2022 Percentage by Sector, M.P.A.
Maxwell’s Palmer Career Center sends out employment surveys to our MPA graduates six months after graduation. Ninety-two percent of the students who graduated from the M.P.A. program in 2022 responded to the survey.
2021 Percentage by Sector, M.P.A.
Eighty-five percent of the students who graduated from the M.A. (IR) program in 2021 responded to the survey.
2020 Percentage by Sector, M.P.A.
Seventy-eight percent of the students who graduated from the M.P.A. program in 2020 responded to the survey.
2019 Percentages by Sector, M.P.A.
2018 Percentages by Sector, M.P.A.
Graduate Professional Salary Trends
According to the salary information provided by employers, starting salary paid to new graduates working in nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, federal government agencies, international NGOs or private consulting firms ranges anywhere from $40,000 to $85,000 in ascending order, respectively.
Since our graduate professional programs specifically look for applicants with a public service orientation, most of our students expect to graduate and begin their careers in one of the above professions. That said, our M.P.A. and M.A. (IR) programs include strong analytical, managerial and financial preparation, readying our graduates to move across sectors over the course of their careers. Many have gone on to serve the public good in financially lucrative private
businesses including health care, financial services, disaster management, infrastructure/development, defense technologies, transportation and other fields.
Ultimately, students should pick a degree and a program based on the type of work they want to do and how well that program prepares them to be successful in both the short term and the long term. With typical placement rates between 95% - 100%, the Maxwell School’s professional graduate programs are a great fit for those who aspire to work in fields with a public service orientation.
A Career of Service Across Sectors
I was afforded incredible responsibility and accountability as a young professional [working in state budge offices] to provide leadership in finding operational efficiencies, in establishing spending and revenue priorities, and in developing new policy...Budgeting was a great experience that helped me hone financial, communication, negotiation and analytical skills, which served me well through my entire career.”
Howard “Howie” Phanstiel ’70 (PSc), ’71 (M.P.A.)
former president, CEO and chairman, PacifiCare Health Systems; Syracuse University Life Trustee
Read more about Howie’s career trajectory and advice to 2017 Maxwell M.P.A. graduates