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2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California

11 Ranked Colleges
97 Degrees Awarded
$33,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 46,740 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 7,602 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 97 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in political science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Los Angeles

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - San Diego Political Science Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s poly sci degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Davis

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 6 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree poly sci students list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Irvine

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 16 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Berkeley

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also made our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Political Science at UCSB

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Riverside

#8

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s poly sci degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Santa Cruz Political Science Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Merced Political Science Report

#10

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Claremont Graduate University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Claremont Graduate University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Claremont Graduate University are $36,380.

Read more about Political Science at Claremont Graduate University

#11

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011.

Read more about Political Science at Stanford University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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