2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 48,597 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. 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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,850 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s” ranking looked at 192 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs that also have a lower cost than 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 and government program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Political Science Schools for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree political science students.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at American Military University are $7,050.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at American Public University System
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Villanova University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Villanova University is a fairly large school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree political science students list, Villanova has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Villanova are $20,719, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Illinois State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Citadel Military College of South Carolina. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Charleston, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Citadel Military College of South Carolina are $18,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Citadel Military College of South Carolina
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 1 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at USD are $12,637, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of South Dakota Political Science & Government Report
University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 24 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $16,374, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Nebraska at Omaha Political Science & Government Report
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Texas A&M University - College Station
University of North Texas landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Texas are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #9, Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full Liberty University Political Science & Government Report
University of Wyoming came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 4 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Wyoming Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #11, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. UofM is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Memphis are $14,202, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full University of Memphis Political Science & Government Report
Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s political science students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #14, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Political Science & Government at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 22 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Springfield
Lehigh University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. Lehigh University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 8 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehigh, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Lehigh are $27,130.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Lehigh University
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Sam Houston State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. Sam Houston State University is a public institution located in Huntsville, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Sam Houston State University are $15,704, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Sam Houston State University
Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #19. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Virginia Tech also did well on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Tech are $30,547, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Virginia Tech
Texas Tech University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. Texas Tech University is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Texas Tech University
With a ranking of #21, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska - Lincoln are $19,513, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue is also in the top of our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Political Science & Government Report
University of Houston ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Houston
Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #24. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 24 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State University are $26,707, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Florida State University
Marquette University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s list. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 2 masters’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Marquette University are $21,690, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Marquette
Rest of the Best 29 in Best Value Political Science Schools for a Master’s
Not only did these schools make the top 29 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Best Value Master's Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in the Southeast Region
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
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