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Evanston, IL · Public policy & social work

Public policy & social work at Northwestern

Northwestern graduates about 116 public policy & social work majors a year, 6% of its graduating class. That puts it 3rd of 406 schools we score for public policy & social work, a standout program at 97 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $83,000 four years out, 1.46× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $11 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

97/100Standout#3 of 406 for public policy & social work →
Graduates a year1166% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$83,0001.46× the same major nationally
Research in the field$11Ma year, NSF
Admit rate7%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1570whole school

Around Northwestern

A photo of the interior of Dearborn Observatory. The dome is open, the red light
Dearborn Telescope with open domePhoto: Jackricono · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Shakespeare Garden in Evanston (1915). It was established by the Garden Club
Shakespeare Garden (8105928197)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Aggelos KatsaggelosPhoto: Leandros89 · CC0 · source
This represents what PDMS looks like.
FabricwithinPDMSPhoto: Ih2283 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where public policy & social work happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Public Affairs Residential College.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 96 · Dorm 44 · Fraternity or sorority house 13 · Arts 8 · Chapel 5 · Athletics 3.

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Nearby in the public policy & social work ranking

  1. Duke University 99
  2. Princeton University 98
  3. University of Chicago 97
  4. Rice University 92
  5. Syracuse University 91
  6. Brandeis University 90

Other strong majors at Northwestern

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Northwestern with every school we score in public policy & social work. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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