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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in the Great Lakes Region

22 Ranked Colleges
114 Degrees Awarded
$32,800 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,387 and had an average of $23,175 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,797 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,195 and $24,420 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 114 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,305 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. That schools that top this list have a program in political science and government in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 22 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in the Great Lakes Region

1
Hillsdale College crest
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hillsdale College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region. This small school is located in Hillsdale, Michigan, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Hillsdale College Political Science & Government Report

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UChicago Political Science & Government Report

3
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 11 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Notre Dame

4
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 11 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Northwestern University

5
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 10 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at IU Bloomington

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Loyola University Chicago

7
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

With a ranking of #7, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Wayne State

8

Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Political Science & Government at NIU

9

With a ranking of #9, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 10 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Ohio State Political Science & Government Report

10
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 8 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Michigan State University Political Science & Government Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison Political Science & Government Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Political Science & Government Report

13

With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s political science students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

14

Kent State University at Kent landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s political science students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Kent State University at Kent

15
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 3 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Purdue University - Main Campus

16

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. UWM is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UWM

17

With a ranking of #17, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s political science students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UIC

18

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 doctorate’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at SIUC

18

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 doctorate’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Case Western

18
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s political science degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Political Science & Government at WMU

18

With a ranking of #18, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 195 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Miami University - Oxford

18

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Political Science Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 96 doctorate’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC

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