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2024 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

51 Colleges in California
6,117 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,933 Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #12 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 51 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,117 bachelor's degrees in political science & government during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in California The political science bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for political science & government students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in California 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in California

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for political science & government students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
59 Annual Graduates
$46,407 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government needs to take a look at Stanford University. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Stanford University earn $13,474 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Stanford University

2
496 Annual Graduates
$40,526 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at University of California - Berkeley earn $7,593 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley

3
690 Annual Graduates
$35,138 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles receive $2,205 more than the average political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles

4
150 Annual Graduates
$41,043 Median Starting Salary
$12,869 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at University of Southern California earn $8,110 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Southern California

5
38 Annual Graduates

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont.More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Claremont McKenna College

6
323 Annual Graduates
$32,542 Median Starting Salary
$14,250 Median Student Debt

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program report average early career wages of $32,542.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Davis

7
453 Annual Graduates
$28,579 Median Starting Salary
$16,030 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, political science bachelor's recipients generally make around $28,579 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - San Diego

8
349 Annual Graduates
$29,631 Median Starting Salary
$16,293 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program make around $29,631 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Irvine

9
315 Annual Graduates
$35,379 Median Starting Salary
$16,485 Median Student Debt

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara get an earnings boost of around $2,446 over the typical earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Santa Barbara

10
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
102 Annual Graduates
$52,109 Median Starting Salary
$21,750 Median Student Debt

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Santa Clara University earn $19,176 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Santa Clara University

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 957
Oregon 185 527
Nevada 129 196
Hawaii 112 132
Alaska 75 16

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Political Science & Government is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 5,949
Other Political Science & Government 139
Political Economy 29

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 8,861
Economics 6,623
Anthropology 1,780
International Relations & National Security 816
Geography & Cartography 632
General Social Sciences 568
Other Social Sciences 355
Urban Studies 260
Archeology 10

Notes and References

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