Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to public policy programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Public Policy · CIP 44.05 series · 4 codes · 6 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 44.0501 Public Policy Analysis, General, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps public policy programs to 6 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Political Scientist, Social Science Research Assistant and Hospital Administrator. BLS median pay across them runs from $61,990 (Social Science Research Assistant) to $142,080 (Political Scientist) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs public policy programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital Administrator | $123,860 | 597,080 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $107,310 | 221,270 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Education Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $75,350 | 60,830 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Social Science Research Assistant | $61,990 | 30,640 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Political Science Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $98,070 | 16,970 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Political Scientist | $142,080 | 5,540 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Political Scientist, one of the public policy jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Speaking
Mapped from CIP 44.0501, 44.0504Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.
Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Writing
Mapped from CIP 44.0501, 44.0502Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and other personnel.
Develop and maintain computerized record management systems to store and process data, such as personnel activities and information, and to produce reports.
Speaking · Critical Thinking · Social Perceptiveness
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 44.0503Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
Data A national median for federal-aid graduates of this field: a separate measure from the BLS job pay above.
See earnings by degree level, college spread and federal debt.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “masters in public policy jobs”, “what can you do with a masters in public policy”, “what can you do with a public policy degree” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
