Mailman School graduates pursue their passions across a broad range of employment sectors. While most choose to apply their skills and experience in and around the New York metropolitan area, our alumni can be found working throughout the United States and abroad.
View a partial list of employers and recruiters.
2020-21 POST GRADUATE OUTCOMES, SIX MONTHS POST-GRADUATION
INDUSTRIES/SECTORS FOR 2020-21 GRADUATES
OVERALL SALARIES, 2020-21
325 graduates reported salaries. Part-time salaries and international currency salaries were excluded.
-
The Overall Average salary was: $89,252 (for those with no prior graduate degree, $73,758).
-
The Overall Median salary was: $72,250 (for those with no prior graduate degree, $70,000).
-
The range was $34,000 to $600,000.
-
79 graduates reported receiving bonuses, and the average bonus was $13,053 and median bonus was $10,000. Specific benefits/bonuses mentioned included tuition remission, stock options/equity, licensure reimbursement, visa sponsorship, housing and transportation pay (especially for graduates working internationally), and relocation costs.
Median and Average Salaries by Sector
Salaries differ by industry, years of experience of the candidate, geographic location, size of the employer, etc. The following salaries are school-wide salaries by industry. The first table is for all salaries reported; the second table is the average or median salary for those MPH, MHA or MS students who entered the Mailman School without a prior graduate-level degree (i.e. excluding Executive MPH, MHA, or MS students, PhD/DrPH students, and students who entered Mailman with a pre-existing MD, PhD etc.).
Salary By Industry: School Wide (All Graduates, including Executives, PhDs, and those with prior graduate degrees)
|
SCHOOL-WIDE SALARIES (ALL GRADUATES WHO REPORTED) |
AVERAGE |
MEDIAN |
Low | High |
Number Reported |
| Consulting | $99,937 | $90,000 | $55,000 | $260,000 | 58 |
| Government | $69,721 | $68,640 | $42,000 | $132,000 | 39 |
| Insurance | $94,301 | $90,000 | $52,000 | $130,000 | 13 |
| Healthcare | $103,232 | $72,000 | $34,000 | $600,000 | 89 |
| Marketing | $74,963 | $66,500 | $50,000 | $152,500 | 12 |
| Nonprofit (Domestic) | $71,112 | $65,000 | $39,500 | $175,500 | 35 |
| Nonprofit (International) | $65,664 | $64,500 | $45,000 | $120,000 | 11 |
| Other | $140,714 | $70,000 | $40,000 | $400,000 | 7 |
| Pharmaceuticals | $102,388 | $85,000 | $50,000 | $215,000 | 19 |
| Research | $68,286 | $65,000 | $60,000 | $86,500 | 7 |
| Technology | $85,938 | $71,250 | $62,000 | $165,000 | 8 |
| Universities | $69,704 | $65,000 | $51,000 | $150,000 | 27 |
| Overall | $89,252 | $72,250 | $34,000 | $600,000 | 325 |
Salaries by Industry: MPH, MHA or MS only (Excluding Executive MPH, MHA, MS; part-time MHAs; and student with pre-existing MD, PhD, PharmD, JD etc.)
580 students graduated with an MS, MHA or MPH and did not have a prior graduate degree.
Of these, 252 reported salaries (salaries paid in international currency or part-time excluded).
|
|
AVERAGE |
MEDIAN |
Low | High | Number Reported |
| Consulting | $88,840 | $85,000 | $55,000 | $150,000 | 47 |
| Government | $67,920 | $66,302 | $42,000 | $132,000 | 36 |
| Insurance | $93,374 | $85,009 | $52,000 | $130,000 | 11 |
| Hospital/health system | $68,346 | $65,000 | $34,000 | $110,000 | 50 |
| Marketing/Comm | $67,914 | $65,000 | $50,000 | $79,000 | 11 |
| Non-Profit or Philanthropy (Domestic) | $68,203 | $66,250 | $39,400 | $102,000 | 34 |
| Non-Profit/International NGO (Global) | $60,230 | $61,500 | $45,000 | $71,000 | 10 |
| Other For-Profit | $67,000 | $50,000 | $40,000 | $130,000 | 5 |
| Pharmaceuticals | $87,337 | $72,800 | $50,000 | $165,000 | 13 |
| Research Organization or Institute | $70,600 | $70,000 | $62,000 | $86,500 | 5 |
| Technology | $74,643 | $70,000 | $62,000 | $95,000 | 7 |
| University | $65,565 | $65,000 | $51,000 | $85,000 | 23 |
| Schoolwide | $73,758 | $70,000 | $34,000 | $165,000 | 252 |
Salary by Degree*
|
Columbia degree |
Mean |
Median
|
| Accelerated MPH | $270,000 | $285,000 |
| Doctor of Public Health | $236,843 | $164,900 |
| Executive MHA | $154,333 | $150,000 |
| Executive MPH | $201,136 | $190,000 |
| Regular MHA | $87,250 | $85,000 |
| Part-time MHA | $94,519 | $93,150 |
| MPH | $72,969 | $70,000 |
| MS** | $94,342 | $80,000 |
| MS (Excluding Patient Oriented Research) | $90,019 | $76,400 |
| PhD | $85,625 | $78,500 |
* Note: Many differences in salary by degree reflect the prior years of relevant work experience of students in each degree program.
**MS salaries include salaries of those in programs such as Patient-Oriented Research, which are comprised of Columbia faculty and researchers.
For graduates who worked prior to attending Mailman School, and also provided salaries after graduation, the average salary increase after graduation was $41,318 and median increase was $40,687 in 2019-2020 (2021 data currently being calculated).
JOB SEARCH PROCESS
While the Mailman School has excellent career outcomes, and students and alumni have lifetime access to top-quality career services resources, students are ultimately responsible for taking ownership of their own job search.
To find employment, students applied, on average, to 33 jobs in 2019-20, (excluding those who were recruited from internships or prior jobs).
Students went through an average of 4.7 first-round interviews and 2.9 second-round interviews, to receive an average number of 1.5 job offers (There was 3 students receiving 5 or more offers, 11 students receiving 4 offers; 37 students receiving 3 offers; 85 students receiving 2 offers).
Students used a variety of search methods to hear about the jobs they ended up accepting. 24% of students identified the job they accepted through Career Services (i.e. Mailman career fair, recruiting event, CareerLink job board); 5% used Mailman School Alumni networking; 13% Department/faculty; 8% Classmate referrals, 10% practicum; 13% personal network; and 25% used a non-Mailman Job Board; 6% were promoted from an existing job; and 13% used other methods (such as reciprocity career services with other public health schools, professional associations, or staffing firms). (Note: Percentages do not add to 100% because students could indicate more than one job search method; percentages indicate the percent of unique survey respondents mentioning that method.)
In all, approximately 57% of students found their jobs via networking; and 62% found their jobs with the assistance of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.
