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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region

43 Colleges in the Southwest Region
4,291 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$31,413 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #20 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,291 degrees in political science & government during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of political science & government school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Political Science & Government School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Political Science & Government Rankings by 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

The political science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of political science degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Political Science

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In TX
59 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Rice University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 59 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
335 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$37,562 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 335 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin receive $6,149 more than the typical political science student.

More information about a degree in political science & government from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
305 Political Science Degrees Awarded
0.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in political science & government needs to take a look at Texas A&M University - College Station. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 305 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of about $3,030 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Texas A&M University - College Station

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
442 Political Science Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Arizona State University - Tempe is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in political science & government. ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 442 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe receive an earnings boost of about $6,155 above the average income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Arizona State University - Tempe

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Political Science Degrees Awarded
31.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 113 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Texas Christian University earn $15,447 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
238 Political Science Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 238 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program earn an average of $32,899 for their early career.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$34,053 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 47 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Southern Methodist University receive an earnings boost of around $2,640 above the average earnings of political science & government majors.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
234 Political Science Degrees Awarded
5.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were about 234 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make an average of $31,388 in their early career salary.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Political Science Degrees Awarded
20.3% Growth in Graduates

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were approximately 118 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $24,558.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Political Science Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were approximately 126 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech 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 wages of $32,450.

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

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 2,753
Arizona 287 1,044
Oklahoma 257 240
New Mexico 219 224

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.

Political Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 4,079
Other Political Science & Government 162
American Government & Politics (United States) 34
Political Economy 16

View All Political Science Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,950
Sociology 2,832
Anthropology 1,085
Geography & Cartography 1,042
International Relations & National Security 770
General Social Sciences 720
Other Social Sciences 136
Urban Studies 50
Archeology 17
Demography & Population Studies 6

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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