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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region

82 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
10,438 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$33,274 Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #20 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 82 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,438 degrees in political science & government during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science & Government rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science & government schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Political Science & Government Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Political Science
Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science
Master's Degrees in Political Science
Doctor's Degrees in Political Science

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the Far Western US Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the political science degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Political Science

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$46,407 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 86 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Stanford University get an earnings boost of around $13,133 over the average income of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
537 Political Science Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a good option for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 537 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of about $7,252 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
150 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$41,043 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 150 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of about $7,769 above the typical earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Southern California

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
713 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,138 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 713 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,138.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49th Most Popular In CA
38 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.

There were approximately 38 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Claremont McKenna College

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
423 Political Science Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 423 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus earn $4,727 more than the typical political science grad.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
328 Political Science Degrees Awarded
14.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 328 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,542.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Davis

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
469 Political Science Degrees Awarded
13.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 469 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. After graduating, political science degree recipients usually make an average of $28,579 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - San Diego

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
361 Political Science Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 361 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients generally earn about $29,631 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Irvine

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
328 Political Science Degrees Awarded
7.0% Growth in Graduates

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 328 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara get an earnings boost of approximately $2,105 over the typical income of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Santa Barbara

11
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Political Science Degrees Awarded
21.6% Growth in Graduates

SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were about 102 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Santa Clara University earn $18,835 more than the average political science graduate.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Santa Clara University

12
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68th Most Popular In CA
32.1% Growth in Graduates

Pomona is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pomona is a great college overall.

There were roughly 28 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Pomona in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Pomona College

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA
14 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
15 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
16 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
17 Pitzer College Claremont, CA
18 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
19 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA
20 University of Oregon Eugene, OR

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 8,494
Washington 300 984
Oregon 266 543
Nevada 192 224
Hawaii 164 141
Alaska 119 16

View All Rankings >

Political Science & Government is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 10,056
Other Political Science & Government 235
Political Economy 137
American Government & Politics (United States) 10

View All Political Science Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 16,711
Economics 12,085
General Social Sciences 10,660
Anthropology 3,495
Geography & Cartography 1,872
International Relations & National Security 1,575
Other Social Sciences 534
Urban Studies 465
Archeology 80
Sociology & Anthropology 64

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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