Best Political Scientist programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology.
82 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,352 people a year. The job pays a median of $140,020 in Pennsylvania across about 70 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
11 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science and Government, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.1001In Pennsylvania → | 1,551 | 65.9% | 76 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 2 | International Relations and Affairsmain feeder CIP 45.0901In Pennsylvania → | 346 | 14.7% | 27 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 3 | International/Globalization Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.2001In Pennsylvania → | 305 | 13.0% | 22 | $32,906 | $21,966 |
| 4 | CIP 44.0501In Pennsylvania → | 93 | 4.0% | 16 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 5 | CIP 45.1002In Pennsylvania → | 20 | 0.9% | 2 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 6 | Political Science and Government, Othermain feeder CIP 45.1099In Pennsylvania → | 13 | 0.6% | 5 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 7 | Political Economymain feeder CIP 45.1004In Pennsylvania → | 12 | 0.5% | 3 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 8 | National Security Policy Studiesmain feeder CIP 45.0902In Pennsylvania → | 8 | 0.3% | 1 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 9 | History and Political Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.4601In Pennsylvania → | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | CIP 30.5101In Pennsylvania → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
| 11 | CIP 44.0504In Pennsylvania → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 31 of the 82 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 326 | Political Science and Government, General | $41,201 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 308 | International/Globalization Studies | — | 97% | $22,055 | 5% |
| 3 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 152 | Political Science and Government, General | $36,011 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 4 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 148 | Political Science and Government, General | $35,390 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 5 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 121 | Political Science and Government, General | $46,549 | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 6 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 89 | Political Science and Government, General | $53,012 | 86% | $30,675 | 29% |
| 7 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 85 | Political Science and Government, General | $53,632 | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 84 | Political Science and Government, General | $41,201 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 9 | Lafayette College Easton, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 66 | Political Science and Government, General | $48,112 | 88% | $20,396 | 31% |
| 10 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 54 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 11 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 50 | Political Science and Government, General | $43,322 | 83% | $24,453 | 39% |
| 12 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 46 | Political Science and Government, General | $37,507 | 80% | $22,831 | 42% |
| 13 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 46 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 14 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 41 | Political Science and Government, General | $28,840 | 77% | $32,060 | 84% |
| 15 | Haverford College Haverford, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 90% | $17,179 | 12% |
| 16 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 82% | $19,073 | 29% |
| 17 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 31 | Political Science and Government, General | $40,449 | 92% | $18,174 | 7% |
| 18 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 30 | Political Science and Government, General | $38,894 | 79% | $34,418 | 89% |
| 19 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 29 | International Relations and Affairs | — | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 20 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 25 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 80% | $25,834 | 81% |
| 21 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Political Science and Government, General | $45,928 | 84% | $27,178 | 28% |
| 22 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 23 | Political Science and Government, General | $34,271 | 56% | — | 87% |
| 23 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Political Science and Government, General | $33,605 | 58% | — | 86% |
| 24 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Political Science and Government, General | $40,730 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 25 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 17 | Political Science and Government, General | $40,245 | 54% | — | 93% |
All 82 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 326 | 4 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 308 | 4 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 152 | 4 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 148 | 4 |
| Villanova University | Villanova | Private not-for-profit | 121 | 3 |
| Bucknell University | Lewisburg | Private not-for-profit | 89 | 2 |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem | Private not-for-profit | 85 | 4 |
| Pennsylvania State University - World Campus | University Park | Public | 84 | 3 |
| Lafayette College | Easton | Private not-for-profit | 66 | 3 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public | 54 | 2 |
| Gettysburg College | Gettysburg | Private not-for-profit | 50 | 2 |
| Dickinson College | Carlisle | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 2 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 4 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 41 | 3 |
| Haverford College | Haverford | Private not-for-profit | 38 | 1 |
What political scientists earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $142,080. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.
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 1,551 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 65.9% 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 2,352 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do political scientists earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $140,020 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.4% 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 Pennsylvania?+
82 institutions in Pennsylvania 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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