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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region

82 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
9,771 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$33,274 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 82 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 9,771 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science & Government rankings. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Political Science & Government 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 the Far Western US Region

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Political Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Political Science Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Stanford University if you wish to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Stanford University earn a boost of approximately $13,133 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
492 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$40,526 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a great option for students interested in a degree in political science & government. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 492 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of around $7,252 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$41,043 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 139 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,769 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
707 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,138 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 707 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career income of $35,138.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49th Most Popular In CA
46 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.

There were roughly 46 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent data year.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
416 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$38,001 Median Starting Salary

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 416 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive $4,727 more than the typical political science grad.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
343 Political Science Degrees Awarded
4.4% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 343 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career income of $32,542.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Davis

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
380 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$28,579 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 380 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. After graduating, political science degree recipients usually make around $28,579 in their early careers.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
248 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$29,631 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 248 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, political science degree recipients usually make about $29,631 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Irvine

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
268 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,379 Median Starting Salary

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 268 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,105 over the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

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

11
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$52,109 Median Starting Salary

SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Santa Clara University make $18,835 more than the typical political science student.

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

12
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68th Most Popular In CA

Pomona is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pomona is a great college overall.

There were roughly 25 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Pomona in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
13Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont, CA
14University of California - RiversideRiverside, CA
15University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
16Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA
17Pitzer CollegeClaremont, CA
18Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
19University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA
20University of OregonEugene, OR

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
California3308,494
Washington300984
Oregon266543
Nevada192224
Hawaii164141
Alaska11916

View All Rankings >

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

Political Science Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science9,365
Other Political Science & Government266
Political Economy122
American Government & Politics (United States)18

View All Political Science Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Sociology15,078
Economics12,012
General Social Sciences9,542
Anthropology3,312
Geography & Cartography1,818
International Relations & National Security1,575
Other Social Sciences477
Urban Studies453
Archeology72
Sociology & Anthropology56

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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