Best degree programs for Political Scientists, ranked by enrollment
12 college programs and 1,287 schools train Political Scientists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $142,080 median wage, 5,540 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
12 college programs at 1,287 schools train political scientists, graduating 63,481 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Political Science and Government, General. The job pays a median of $142,080 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About political scientists
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
12 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science and Government, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.1001 | 39,456 | 62.2% | 1,171 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 2 | International Relations and Affairsmain feeder CIP 45.0901 | 10,435 | 16.4% | 323 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 3 | CIP 44.0501 | 5,065 | 8.0% | 165 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 4 | International/Globalization Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.2001 | 4,972 | 7.8% | 303 | $32,906 | $21,966 |
| 5 | Political Science and Government, Othermain feeder CIP 45.1099 | 1,060 | 1.7% | 55 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 6 | National Security Policy Studiesmain feeder CIP 45.0902 | 836 | 1.3% | 42 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 7 | CIP 45.0999 | 631 | 1.0% | 27 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 8 | CIP 45.1002 | 298 | 0.5% | 28 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 9 | Political Economymain feeder CIP 45.1004 | 275 | 0.4% | 21 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 10 | CIP 44.0504 | 180 | 0.3% | 14 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 11 | CIP 30.5101 | 164 | 0.3% | 20 | — | — |
| 12 | History and Political Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.4601 | 109 | 0.2% | 21 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What political scientists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | — | 130 | 0.36× | 83 | 4,258 |
| Texas | $114,050 | 160 | 0.32× | 72 | 3,631 |
| District of Columbia | $152,530 | 3,070 | 122.81× | 9 | 3,556 |
| Florida | — | 90 | 0.25× | 31 | 3,213 |
| Massachusetts | $133,930 | 170 | 1.30× | 43 | 3,005 |
| Pennsylvania | $140,020 | 70 | 0.33× | 82 | 2,352 |
| Maryland | $153,380 | 100 | 1.05× | 22 | 2,217 |
| Illinois | $103,780 | 110 | 0.49× | 44 | 1,807 |
| Arizona | $108,770 | 50 | 0.42× | 20 | 1,773 |
| Michigan | $86,290 | 180 | 1.12× | 32 | 1,506 |
| Ohio | $119,370 | 40 | 0.22× | 48 | 1,467 |
| Colorado | $127,260 | 30 | 0.32× | 23 | 1,119 |
| Washington | $147,060 | 110 | 0.83× | 17 | 770 |
| Oregon | $119,460 | — | — | 15 | 611 |
| New Hampshire | $74,560 | — | — | 8 | 481 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Teach political science.
- Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
- Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
- Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.
- Advise political science students.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.
- Identify issues for research and analysis.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.3
- Speaking4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Active Learning4.1
- Writing4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Learning Strategies3.5
- Mathematics3.0
Knowledge areas
- Law and Government4.7
- English Language4.4
- Education and Training4.3
- History and Archeology3.4
- Mathematics3.4
- Communications and Media3.3
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.6
- Oral Expression4.1
- Oral Comprehension4.1
- Speech Clarity4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Written Expression4.0
Core activities
- Analyzing Data or Information4.8
- Getting Information4.8
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.7
- Processing Information4.6
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.5
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 39,456 degrees in 2024-25, 62.2% 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 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Political Science and Government, International Relations and National Security Studies, Public Policy Analysis, International/Globalization Studies, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 63,481 people a year.
How much do political scientists earn?+
The median is $142,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $83,350 at the 10th percentile to $195,190 at the 90th. 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?+
1,287 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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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