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Public and International Affairs

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in Public and International Affairs

Students majoring in Environmental Policy and Planning and Smart and Sustainable Cities gain a wide range of skills inside and outside the classroom, equipping them to thrive in their dream careers.

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Top Industries

Where do Public and International Affairs graduates excel? Navigate through the tabs below for information on the top five industries these Virginia Tech graduates work in.

$89,429

Average Salary

17

Average Years of Experience

Common Job Titles

  • Planner
  • Planning Coordinator 
  • Planning Manager
  • Community Development Manager
  • Planning Director 
  • Transportation Planner

Job-Related Skills

  • Research 
  • Public Speaking
  • Urban Planning
  • Land-Use Planning
  • Outreach 
  • Community Development

Find a Future in Government

$70,714

Average Salary

17

Average Years of Experience

Common Job Titles

  • Director of Development and Alumni Relations
  • Teacher
  • Lecturer 
  • Administrative Assistant 
  • Professor 

Job-Related Skills

  • Public Speaking
  • Outreach 
  • Customer Service
  • Event Management 
  • Research 
  • Microsoft Excel

Find a Future in Education

$97,353

Average Salary

16

Average Years of Experience

Common Job Titles

  • Associate 
  • Customer Success Manager
  • Data Scientist 
  • Environmental Scientist 
  • Account Executive 
  • Agent
  • Analysis 

Job-Related Skills

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Customer Service
  • Research 
  • Public Speaking
  • Data Analysis 
  • Leadership 
  • Social Media

Find a Future in Information technology

$80,817

Average Salary

14

Average Years of Experience

Common Job Titles

  • Planner
  • Project Manager
  • Environmental Scientist
  • Associate
  • Environmental Planner
  • Sustainability Specialist 

Job-Related Skills

  • Leadership
  • Research 
  • Project Management
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Sustainability 
  • Customer Service 

Find a Future in Engineering 

$94,536

Average Salary

17

Average Years of Experience

Common Job Titles

  • Assistant Teacher
  • Associate Principal 
  • Board of Trustees Member
  • Branch Manager 
  • Chief Development Officer 
  • Consultant 
  • Development and Housing Director

Job-Related Skills

  • Public Speaking
  • Research 
  • Leadership
  • Outreach 
  • Project Management 
  • Customer Service 
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Data Analysis 

Find a Future in Services

SPIA graduates also work in these fields

Real Estate 

  • Property Manager
  • Administrative Assistant 
  • Associate Tenant Researcher
  • Analysis Manager
  • Client Services Manager

Consulting

  • Environmental Planner
  • Planner
  • Advisory Manager
  • Climate Change Analyst
  • Market Growth Lead

Finance 

  • Consulting Manager
  • Portfolio Manager
  • Administrative Specialist 
  • Business Analyst 
  • Director of Business Analyst 

Non-Profit

  • Administrative Coordinator
  • Consultant
  • Campaign Director
  • Development Director
  • Community Relations Coordinator

Most Common Job Titles and Average Salaries

*Average salary of 17 years of experience

Top Employers

Top 10 Employers of SPIA Graduates and Average Salary

Employers on the Rise

Keep an eye on these employers who have been hiring more SPIA graduates in recent years.

Top Skills: Banners, Event Management, Higher Education, International Education, Latin, Multicultural And Diversity Management, Nonprofit Organization, Outreach, Program Evaluation, Qualitative Research

Top Skills: Comprehensive Planning, Land-Use Planning, Park, Site Planning, Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Planning, 3D Rendering, Autocad, Community Development

Top Skills: Agile Methodologies, Autocad, Business Development, Business Opportunities, Business Process Management, Concrete, Construction, Construction Management, Contract Management, Contracting

Top Skills: Environmentalism, Event Management, Leadership, Public Speaking, Research, Sustainability, Teaching, Blogging, Customer Service, Data Analysis

Top Skills: Outreach, Research, Customer Service, Event Management, Geographic Information System, Grant Writing, Higher Education, Leadership, Microsoft Excel, Public Speaking

Infographic highlighting AHRM graduate employment trends: Buzzuto offers the highest average salary, Belk is the top employer, Retail is the leading industry, and Customer Service is the most used skill.

Top States

Where do Public and International Affairs graduates get hired? Most of our graduates stay along the East Coast, with the greatest percentage (36.8%) finding employment in the state of Virginia.

Data was collected from Steppingblocks, a data and analytics engine that provides workforce and education outcome insights on over 100 million people in the U.S.