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How much do public administration phd jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average hourly pay for public administration phd in the United States is $21.62, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.31 and $23.80 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a public administration PhD?

A Public Administration PhD job typically involves research, teaching, or leadership roles in government agencies, non-profit organizations, or academia. Professionals in this field analyze and improve public policies, manage public programs, and contribute to governance theories. They may work as professors, policy analysts, consultants, or senior government officials.

What types of organizations hire individuals with a public administration PhD and what career paths are available?

Individuals with a Public Administration PhD are highly sought after by universities, government agencies, think tanks, nonprofits, and international organizations. Common career paths include academia (as professors or researchers), public policy analysts, senior government administrators, and consultants in organizational development or program evaluation. In these roles, professionals frequently collaborate with policymakers, community stakeholders, and interdisciplinary teams to develop evidence-based solutions for public sector challenges. Over time, career advancement can lead to leadership positions such as department chairs, research directors, or executive roles in government agencies and NGOs.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in a public administration PhD position and why are they important?

To thrive as a Public Administration PhD, you need advanced research skills, expertise in policy analysis, and a doctoral degree in public administration or a related field. Proficiency in statistical analysis tools (such as SPSS, Stata, or R), data management systems, and sometimes specialized certifications in project management are highly beneficial. Exceptional written and verbal communication, leadership, and the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams distinguish top professionals in this role. These skills enable effective research, policy development, and informed decision-making that drive improvements in public sector organizations.

Is a public administration PhD worth it?

A public administration PhD prepares individuals for academic, research, and high-level policy roles, often requiring strong analytical and research skills. While it can lead to careers in government agencies, think tanks, or universities, it typically involves several years of study and may not guarantee immediate employment or high salaries compared to other degrees.

What can I do with a public administration PhD?

A public administration PhD prepares individuals for careers in academia, research, policy analysis, government leadership, and consulting. Graduates often work as university professors, policy advisors, government officials, or nonprofit managers, utilizing skills in research, policy development, and public management.

Why get a public administration PhD?

A public administration PhD prepares individuals for advanced research, teaching, and leadership roles in government, non-profit, and policy organizations. It develops skills in policy analysis, organizational management, and quantitative methods, often requiring a dissertation and academic or administrative career paths.
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What states have the most Public Administration Phd jobs?

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Infographic showing various Public Administration Phd job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 15% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $44,979 per year, or $21.6 per hour.

Assistant Professor, Political Science (Public Administration)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

Reno, NV โ€ข On-site

$65 - $81/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted 4 days ago


Job description

Job Description

The Department of Political Science within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of Public Administration. We seek candidates with broad competence in Public Administration and welcome all qualified applicants, including those with expertise in tribal governance, behavioral public administration, state-level public administration, nonprofit management, or other specialties that complement existing research areas in the department. We welcome applicants from any empirical research methodological tradition but expect a high-level of sophistication and rigor. The Department offers a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program, which includes a public policy component. The successful candidate will be core faculty in the MPA program and will have the opportunity to teach and advise at all levels of the curriculum (lower and upper division undergraduate, MA, MPA, and PhD), including courses required for degree programs. The standard teaching load is 2/2.

Required Qualifications
  • Ph.D. in Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Political Science or a related field in hand by July 1, 2027.
  • A developing or established research agenda in Public Administration, broadly defined.
  • A record of, or potential for, publishing in top-tier journals and presses in relevant fields.
  • A rigorous, empirical research methodology.
  • Demonstrated excellence, or clear evidence of potential for excellence, in teaching in the field of public administration.
  • Ability to teach core courses in the MPA program and related courses across graduate and undergraduate levels.
  • Ability to teach and mentor MA and PhD students in Public Administration and Public Policy.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Evidence of or potential for strong external grant activity.
  • Evidence of successful teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels.
Compensation
  • Grade Assistant Professor (9-month, B-contract)
  • Salary is competitive with a range of $65,000 to $80,500 and commensurate with related education and experience.
Benefits
  • Remarkable Retirement. Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program.
  • Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
  • Generous sick leave, life insurance, and long-term disability โ€“ Faculty Benefits
  • E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers an annual or semester membership and family membership options.
  • E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
  • Several Diversity Committees and Affinity Groups focusing on campus-wide diversity initiatives to ensure we are working to create a diverse and welcoming campus climate.
  • Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University.
  • No state income tax!
  • Grants-in-aid for Faculty Employees The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate.
  • Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employeeโ€™s spouse or domestic partner.
  • Faculty Grants-in-Aid
  • Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program
  • Dual Career Assistance Program Department Information The UNR Department of Political Science is an energetic and collegial community of political scientists and public policy and administration scholars with a commitment to excellence in research and teaching in the Department, the University, and the diverse northern Nevada community. The Department is home to three graduate programs that confer MA, MPA and PhD degrees. It offers a BA and a BS in Political Science and coordinates the International Affairs major and various minors. Faculty participate in a variety of College and University-wide initiatives, such as the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies and the Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences. Additional information about the Department can be found at Political Science. College and University Information The University of Nevada, Reno is a public Research 1 land-grant institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education with a student population of approximately 21,000, including over 3,000 graduate students with a campus also at Lake Tahoe. We are a comprehensive, doctoral university that has been designated as a Carnegie R1 institution with very high research activity and a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Nearly half of our students are students of color, and we are considered a Hispanic Serving Institution. In accordance with the Universityโ€™s land grant tierโ€‘one research institution mission, our faculty are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service in a pluralistic environment. The University has dynamic intellectual, artistic and sports life, and a close relationship to the city of Reno Located in one of the nationโ€™s fastestโ€‘growing innovative economies, Reno is home to a thriving technology ecosystem, attracting leading companies in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, logistics, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure. It is a growing tech and innovation hub with a diverse population and a rich cultural history that hosts an active art, music and festival scene. Known for its proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Reno is a vibrant, diverse and growing city located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, about 200 miles east of San Francisco, about 100 miles east of Sacramento and 30 miles north of the state capital, Carson City. Combined with the neighboring city of Sparks, the Renoโ€‘Sparks metropolitan area has a population of more than 500,000. Reno is only 30โ€‘45 minutes from Lake Tahoe and major ski resorts and is rated one of the top locations in the United States for living and outdoor recreation. It has an international airport with direct flights to many U.S. transportation hubs and to Mexico. For more information about the city and the surrounding area, please visit www.cityofreno.com and www.visitrenotahoe.com. The College of Liberal Arts is home to the humanities, social sciences, and arts, offering 13 academic units and 8 additional programs, museums, and centers, including the Center for Constitutional Law and the Center for Basque Studies, that foster creativity, critical thinking, and engaged citizenship. As one of the largest academic units on campus with just under 4,000 students and 240 faculty, the College combines a strong liberal arts tradition with innovative and interdisciplinary teaching, research, and community engagement, preparing students for meaningful careers and lifelong learning in an interconnected world. The College emphasizes inquiry, discovery, and openness to new ideas and perspectives and supports major scholarly research and creative activity in the three disciplines and offers a number of programs at the Lake Tahoe campus. Visit www.unr.edu/liberal-arts for more information about the college, faculty, and students.
  • Contact Information for this position Search Chair: Prof. Jeremy Gelman, jgelman@unr.edu Search Coordinator: Karen Braun, kbraun@unr.edu
  • Posting Close Date Note to Applicant A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire. HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty memberโ€™s first day of employment. References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process. Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to Eโ€‘Verify. As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform jobโ€‘related tasks. For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment. Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs. The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a personโ€™s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including serviceโ€‘connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes).
  • About Us The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevadaโ€™s original landโ€‘grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries. Classified by the Carnegieยฎ Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (โ€œVery High Researchโ€) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegieยฎ Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the โ€œBest National Universitiesโ€ and โ€œBest National Public Universities.โ€ It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Timesโ€™ โ€œTop Colleges for Economic Diversity.โ€ Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevadaโ€™s first medical school โ€“ the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original landโ€‘grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics. The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Founded where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290โ€‘acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The Universityโ€™s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as โ€œUniversity Village,โ€ to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty. Collaborating with worldโ€‘renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Googleโ€™s TechWise initiate is an 18โ€‘month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entryโ€‘level software engineers by graduation. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerceโ€™s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada โ€“ led by the University of Nevada, Reno โ€“ was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevadaโ€™s Tech Hub will strengthen Americaโ€™s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state. Through its commitment to highโ€‘impact education, worldโ€‘improving research and creative activity, and outreach thatโ€™s transforming Nevadaโ€™s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150โ€‘year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world. The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience. Today, the University delivers on its original landโ€‘grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse studentsโ€™ cognitive growth and academic achievement โ€“ all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education. For more information, please visit the Universityโ€™s website. University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno is the state of Nevadaโ€™s leading public research university. Founded in 1874 as Nevadaโ€™s original landโ€‘grant university, the University serves more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries. Classified by the Carnegieยฎ Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (โ€œVery High Researchโ€) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegieยฎ Community Engagement classification. The University is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the โ€œBest National Universitiesโ€ and โ€œBest National Public Universities.โ€ It also ranks in the U.S. News & World Reportโ€ฆ (text continues fully as in original)
  • NSHE is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a personโ€™s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including serviceโ€‘connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, n