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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in Pennsylvania

41 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,088 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$34,344 Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #20 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 41 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,088 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of political science & government school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science & government schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Political Science & Government Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Political Science
Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science
Master's Degrees in Political Science
Doctor's Degrees in Political Science

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 Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in Pennsylvania

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the political science degree levels they offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Political Science

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$49,929 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in political science & government needs to take a look at University of Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 154 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $15,585 more than the standard political science student.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Pennsylvania

2
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,119 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in political science & government has to check out Swarthmore College. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Swarthmore. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Swarthmore is a great college overall.

There were roughly 23 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Swarthmore College make $8,775 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Swarthmore College

3
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$46,408 Median Starting Salary

Lafayette College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in political science & government. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lafayette is a great college overall.

There were roughly 61 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Lafayette College earn a boost of about $12,064 over the average earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Lafayette College

4
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$49,507 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in political science & government needs to look into Bucknell University. Located in the town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #66 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were approximately 89 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Bucknell University get $15,163 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Bucknell University

5
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Political Science Degrees Awarded
12.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were about 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Villanova University make $4,685 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Villanova University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
207 Political Science Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 207 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career wages of $27,341.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

7
Haverford crest
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Political Science Degrees Awarded
15.2% Growth in Graduates

Haverford is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Haverford. A Best Colleges rank of #177 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Haverford is a great college overall.

There were about 33 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Haverford in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Haverford College get an earnings boost of about $6,818 over the typical earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Haverford College

8
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$32,575 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 153 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, political science degree recipients typically earn around $32,575 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Temple University

9
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$32,595 Median Starting Salary

Gettysburg is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Gettysburg. A Best Colleges rank of #276 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Gettysburg is a great college overall.

There were about 71 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Gettysburg in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients typically make about $32,595 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Gettysburg College

10
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35th Most Popular In PA
8.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were about 12 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Drexel University

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 3,765
Maryland 279 1,135
New Jersey 273 792
District of Columbia 188 1,320
Delaware 175 173

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.

Political Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 2,044
American Government & Politics (United States) 19
Other Political Science & Government 14
Political Economy 11

View All Political Science Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,417
Sociology 868
Geography & Cartography 678
International Relations & National Security 535
Anthropology 349
General Social Sciences 266
Other Social Sciences 127
Urban Studies 82
Sociology & Anthropology 50
Archeology 34

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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