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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region

43 Colleges in the Southwest Region
4,071 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$31,413 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #20 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,071 degrees in political science & government during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of political science & government school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Political Science & Government School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

The political science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of political science degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Political Science

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In TX
44 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Rice University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in political science & government. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
342 Political Science Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 342 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin make $6,149 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a degree in political science & government from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
270 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$34,443 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in political science & government needs to look into Texas A&M University - College Station. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 270 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station earn a boost of approximately $3,030 above the typical income of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Texas A&M University - College Station

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
378 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$37,568 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is a good option for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were approximately 378 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe earn a boost of around $6,155 over the typical earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Arizona State University - Tempe

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$46,860 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 89 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at Texas Christian University get $15,447 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$32,899 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were about 194 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make an average of $32,899 in their early career salary.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Political Science Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 49 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Southern Methodist University receive an earnings boost of about $2,640 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$31,388 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were about 198 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make about $31,388 for their early career.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$24,558 Median Starting Salary

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 112 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career earnings of $24,558.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Political Science Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were roughly 139 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,450.

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

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas3172,753
Arizona2871,044
Oklahoma257240
New Mexico219224

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

MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science3,878
Other Political Science & Government154
American Government & Politics (United States)29
Political Economy10

View All Political Science Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics2,794
Sociology2,754
Anthropology1,061
Geography & Cartography1,054
General Social Sciences833
International Relations & National Security809
Other Social Sciences62
Urban Studies52
Archeology10
Demography & Population Studies8

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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