by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,936 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major” ranking, we looked at 225 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science and government.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree political science students.
Out of the 225 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Hillsdale College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Hillsdale, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified masters’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Hillsdale College
Out of the 225 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Springfield
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. George Washington University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 173 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 full report on Political Science & Government at George Washington University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 25 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 30 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 108 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Johns Hopkins
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 27 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Political Science & Government at The Graduate Center, CUNY
Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #8. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 19 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Princeton University
Claremont Graduate University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Claremont Graduate University Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #10, Catholic University of America did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. CUA is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Georgetown University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 49 diplomas to qualified masters’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Yale University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #12. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 30 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #13. Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a small school located in Charleston, South Carolina that handed out 7 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Harvard University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 58 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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 Harvard University Political Science & Government Report
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro is located in San Juan, and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. UNOMAHA is a public institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Nebraska at Omaha
With a ranking of #17, St John’s University - New York did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 23 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Idaho State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #18. ISU is a fairly large public school situated in Pocatello, Idaho. It awarded 14 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. GSU is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Governors State University
With a ranking of #20, Suffolk University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 10 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Augusta University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. Augusta University is a public institution located in Augusta, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Augusta University
With a ranking of #22, University of Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major list. UD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irving, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Full University of Dallas Political Science & Government Report
Lehigh University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #23. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Lehigh
Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #24. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Northeastern Illinois University
Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
