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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California

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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Political Science & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,986 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,047 and $19,395 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 97 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science and government programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California

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

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

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified doctorate’s political science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government 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 full report on Political Science & Government at UCLA

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 5 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UCSD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 11 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government 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 University of California - Davis are $28,700.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Davis

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. 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 & Government at UC Irvine

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Political Science & Government 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 Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Santa Barbara

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #7. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UCR

#8

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UC Santa Cruz

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Merced ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Merced are $43,854, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Merced

#10

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree political science students list, Claremont Graduate University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government 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 Claremont Graduate University are $36,380.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Claremont Graduate University

#11

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 18 degrees to qualified doctorate’s political science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Political Science & Government 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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