Best Political Scientist programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology.
43 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,005 people a year. The job pays a median of $133,930 in Massachusetts across about 170 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
11 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (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 Massachusetts page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science and Government, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.1001In Massachusetts → | 1,443 | 48.0% | 38 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 2 | International Relations and Affairsmain feeder CIP 45.0901In Massachusetts → | 837 | 27.9% | 14 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 3 | CIP 44.0501In Massachusetts → | 297 | 9.9% | 9 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 4 | International/Globalization Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.2001In Massachusetts → | 222 | 7.4% | 14 | $32,906 | $21,966 |
| 5 | Political Science and Government, Othermain feeder CIP 45.1099In Massachusetts → | 84 | 2.8% | 3 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 6 | National Security Policy Studiesmain feeder CIP 45.0902In Massachusetts → | 60 | 2.0% | 2 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 7 | CIP 44.0504In Massachusetts → | 26 | 0.9% | 2 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 8 | CIP 45.0999In Massachusetts → | 23 | 0.8% | 2 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 9 | CIP 45.1002In Massachusetts → | 11 | 0.4% | 2 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 10 | Political Economymain feeder CIP 45.1004In Massachusetts → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 11 | CIP 30.5101In Massachusetts → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Massachusetts
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 27 of the 43 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 487 | Political Science and Government, General | $61,543 | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 2 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 416 | International Relations and Affairs | $45,870 | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 3 | Tufts University Medford, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 351 | International Relations and Affairs | $54,079 | 94% | $23,570 | 11% |
| 4 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 281 | Political Science and Government, General | $52,516 | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 5 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 4 feeder programs | 210 | Political Science and Government, General | $43,545 | 83% | — | 60% |
| 6 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 178 | Political Science and Government, General | $46,764 | 91% | $21,126 | 16% |
| 7 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 112 | Political Science and Government, Other | $43,770 | 86% | $25,074 | 40% |
| 8 | University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA Public · 6 feeder programs | 107 | Political Science and Government, General | $34,499 | 49% | — | 84% |
| 9 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 105 | Political Science and Government, General | $47,029 | 87% | $24,533 | 18% |
| 10 | Suffolk University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 88 | Political Science and Government, General | $44,845 | 61% | $28,895 | 82% |
| 11 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 3 feeder programs | 76 | National Security Policy Studies | — | 65% | — | 83% |
| 12 | Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 73 | International/Globalization Studies | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Public Policy Analysis, General | — | 52% | — | 91% |
| 14 | Smith College Northampton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Political Science and Government, General | $42,327 | 89% | $17,183 | 21% |
| 15 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 45 | Political Science and Government, General | $50,214 | 92% | $19,292 | 14% |
| 16 | Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 44 | Political Science and Government, General | $48,690 | 84% | $26,083 | 36% |
| 17 | Clark University Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Political Science and Government, General | $33,625 | 77% | $23,332 | 40% |
| 18 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Political Science and Government, General | $42,476 | 53% | — | 88% |
| 19 | Williams College Williamstown, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Political Science and Government, General | $56,817 | 94% | $10,747 | 8% |
| 20 | Simmons University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 20 | Political Science and Government, General | $39,657 | 72% | $24,848 | 70% |
| 21 | Emmanuel College Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 18 | Political Science and Government, General | $38,004 | 68% | $29,723 | 76% |
| 22 | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Political Science and Government, General | $32,669 | 73% | $26,445 | 68% |
| 23 | Amherst College Amherst, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Political Science and Government, General | $61,125 | 94% | $16,081 | 9% |
| 24 | Stonehill College Easton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Political Science and Government, General | $45,195 | 76% | $24,000 | 66% |
| 25 | Endicott College Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 76% | $34,195 | 71% |
All 43 schools in Massachusetts
Every school in Massachusetts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge | Private not-for-profit | 487 | 5 |
| Boston University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 416 | 3 |
| Tufts University | Medford | Private not-for-profit | 351 | 4 |
| Northeastern University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 281 | 4 |
| University of Massachusetts - Amherst | Amherst | Public | 210 | 4 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill | Private not-for-profit | 178 | 2 |
| Brandeis University | Waltham | Private not-for-profit | 112 | 3 |
| University of Massachusetts - Boston | Boston | Public | 107 | 6 |
| College of the Holy Cross | Worcester | Private not-for-profit | 105 | 2 |
| Suffolk University | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 88 | 3 |
| University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell | Public | 76 | 3 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | Boston | Private not-for-profit | 73 | 1 |
| University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | North Dartmouth | Public | 63 | 2 |
| Smith College | Northampton | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 1 |
| Wellesley College | Wellesley | Private not-for-profit | 45 | 2 |
What political scientists earn in Massachusetts
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $142,080. Massachusetts pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts.
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 1,443 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 48.0% 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, Public Policy Analysis, International/Globalization Studies, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 3,005 people a year in Massachusetts.
How much do political scientists earn in Massachusetts?+
The median is $133,930 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.7% 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 Massachusetts?+
43 institutions in Massachusetts 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
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