Best Political Science Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in political science, international affairs, and international relations.
28 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 725 people a year. The job pays a median of $81,330 in Tennessee across about 250 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (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 Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 45.1001In Tennessee → | 593 | 81.8% | 25 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 2 | CIP 45.0901In Tennessee → | 47 | 6.5% | 6 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 3 | CIP 44.0501In Tennessee → | 38 | 5.2% | 4 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.1004In Tennessee → | 12 | 1.7% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 5 | CIP 44.0502In Tennessee → | 11 | 1.5% | 1 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 6 | CIP 45.0999In Tennessee → | 10 | 1.4% | 1 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
| 7 | CIP 45.1099In Tennessee → | 7 | 1.0% | 2 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 8 | CIP 45.1002In Tennessee → | 5 | 0.7% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 9 | CIP 30.4601In Tennessee → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | CIP 45.0902In Tennessee → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $37,878 | $21,750 |
Top 25 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 28 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 192 | Political Science and Government, General | $29,728 | 74% | — | 42% |
| 2 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 86 | Political Science and Government, General | $46,843 | 94% | $14,854 | 6% |
| 3 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 60 | Political Science and Government, General | $35,537 | 85% | $19,854 | 50% |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Political Science and Government, General | $31,012 | 54% | — | 69% |
| 5 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 3 feeder programs | 48 | Political Science and Government, General | $27,600 | 51% | — | 72% |
| 6 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Political Science and Government, General | $39,490 | 50% | — | 81% |
| 7 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Political Science and Government, General | $35,206 | 34% | — | 70% |
| 8 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Political Science and Government, General | $31,831 | 80% | $21,573 | 57% |
| 9 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Political Science and Government, General | $34,635 | 40% | — | 96% |
| 10 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 27 | Political Science and Government, General | $37,594 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 11 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 22 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 12 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Political Science and Government, General | $34,105 | 58% | — | 76% |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 53% | — | 88% |
| 14 | King University Bristol, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | International Relations and National Security Studies, Other | — | 48% | $23,546 | 100% |
| 15 | Freed - Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 71% | $19,418 | 60% |
| 16 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 17 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 18 | Fisk University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Political Science and Government, Other | — | 30% | $27,814 | 37% |
| 19 | Union University Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 66% | $25,882 | 60% |
| 20 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 50% | $18,981 | 63% |
| 21 | Milligan University Milligan, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 63% | $19,143 | 72% |
| 22 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 49% | $24,187 | 65% |
| 23 | Bryan College - Dayton Dayton, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 50% | $16,130 | — |
| 24 | Maryville College Maryville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 50% | $20,489 | 61% |
| 25 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Political Science and Government, General | — | 25% | $22,577 | 72% |
All 28 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 192 | 2 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 86 | 3 |
| Rhodes College | Memphis | Private not-for-profit | 60 | 3 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 58 | 2 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public | 48 | 3 |
| The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga | Public | 42 | 1 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville | Public | 41 | 2 |
| The University of the South | Sewanee | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 29 | 2 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 27 | 2 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 3 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public | 18 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Martin | Martin | Public | 13 | 2 |
| King University | Bristol | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 2 |
| Freed - Hardeman University | Henderson | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
What political science teachers, postsecondary earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $98,070. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Tennessee, by employment
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 Science Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Political Science Teacher, Postsecondary
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional 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 Tennessee
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.4601History and Political Science
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 44.0501Public Policy Analysis, General
- 44.0502Education Policy Analysis
- 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)
- 45.1004Political Economy
- 45.1099Political Science and Government, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing political science teachers, postsecondary programs in Tennessee.
What degree do you need to become a Political Science Teacher, Postsecondary?+
Doctoral or professional 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 593 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 81.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Political Science Teacher, Postsecondary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Political Science and Government, International Relations and National Security Studies, Public Policy Analysis, History and Political Science. Together they graduate about 725 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do political science teachers, postsecondary earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $81,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 17.1% below the U.S. median of $98,070. 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 science teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Tennessee?+
28 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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.
What other job titles do political science teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Associate Professor, Political Science Professor, Political Science Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1065.
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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