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2024 Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California

11 Colleges in California
78 Doctor's Degrees
If you pursue a doctor's degree in political science, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #42 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for political science students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 78 doctor's degrees in political science during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California The poly sci doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for political science students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Political Science in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in political science.

10 Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Poly Sci

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in political science needs to look into Stanford University. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in political science. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in political science. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Claremont Graduate University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in political science. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Claremont.More information about a doctorate in political science from Claremont Graduate University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Irvine

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Davis

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Santa Barbara

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

UCR is a very large public university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Riverside

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of California - Santa Cruz

Best Political Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Political Science Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 216 10
Oregon 145 5
Nevada 111 6
Hawaii 65 4

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Political Science & Government area of study, Political Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Political Science & Government 2

Notes and References

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