Best Political Scientist programs in Arizona, ranked by enrollment
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology.
20 schools in Arizona run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,773 people a year. The job pays a median of $108,770 in Arizona across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Arizona that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
11 programs in Arizona that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Arizona (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arizona page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science and Government, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.1001In Arizona → | 752 | 42.4% | 17 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 2 | International/Globalization Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.2001In Arizona → | 234 | 13.2% | 3 | $32,906 | $21,966 |
| 3 | International Relations and Affairsmain feeder CIP 45.0901In Arizona → | 195 | 11.0% | 4 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 4 | CIP 44.0501In Arizona → | 192 | 10.8% | 3 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 5 | Political Science and Government, Othermain feeder CIP 45.1099In Arizona → | 174 | 9.8% | 3 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 6 | CIP 45.0999In Arizona → | 124 | 7.0% | 2 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 7 | CIP 30.5101In Arizona → | 40 | 2.3% | 3 | — | — |
| 8 | History and Political Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.4601In Arizona → | 36 | 2.0% | 2 | — | — |
| 9 | CIP 45.1002In Arizona → | 13 | 0.7% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 10 | Political Economymain feeder CIP 45.1004In Arizona → | 8 | 0.5% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 11 | National Security Policy Studiesmain feeder CIP 45.0902In Arizona → | 5 | 0.3% | 1 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
Top 20 schools in Arizona
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 20 schools in this state.
All 20 schools in Arizona
Every school in Arizona with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion | Tempe | Public | 589 | 8 |
| Arizona State University Digital Immersion | Scottsdale | Public | 540 | 7 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson | Public | 275 | 6 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix | Private not-for-profit | 143 | 1 |
| Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff | Public | 91 | 3 |
| Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott | Prescott | Private not-for-profit | 61 | 1 |
| Arizona Christian University | Glendale | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Estrella Mountain Community College | Avondale | Public | 10 | 1 |
| The University of Arizona Global Campus | Chandler | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Glendale Community College | Glendale | Public | 7 | 1 |
| Chandler - Gilbert Community College | Chandler | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Phoenix College | Phoenix | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Arizona Western College | Yuma | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Mesa Community College | Mesa | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Paradise Valley Community College | Phoenix | Public | 5 | 1 |
What political scientists earn in Arizona
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $142,080. Arizona pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Arizona
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Political Scientists page.
How to become a Political Scientist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Arizona
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 13 majors mapped to Political Scientists12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.2001International/Globalization Studies
- 30.4601History and Political Science
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 44.0501Public Policy Analysis, General
- 44.0504International Policy Analysis
- 45.0901International Relations and Affairs
- 45.0902National Security Policy Studies
- 45.0999International Relations and National Security Studies, Other
- 45.1001Political Science and Government, General
- 45.1002American Government and Politics (United States)
- 45.1003Canadian Government and Politics(no graduates reported)
- 45.1004Political Economy
- 45.1099Political Science and Government, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing political scientists programs in Arizona.
What degree do you need to become a Political Scientist?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Political Science and Government, General, which awarded 752 degrees in Arizona in 2024-25, 42.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Political Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Political Science and Government, International Relations and National Security Studies, International/Globalization Studies, Public Policy Analysis, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 1,773 people a year in Arizona.
How much do political scientists earn in Arizona?+
The median is $108,770 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 23.4% below the U.S. median of $142,080. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for political scientists growing?+
BLS projects a -3.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Arizona?+
20 institutions in Arizona reported graduates from at least one of the 11 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card