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2024 Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools

102 Colleges in the United States
639 Doctor's Degrees
Political Science is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #42 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 102 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 639 doctor's degrees in political science to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools Your choice of political science for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality poly sci program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Poly Sci Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Political Science in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for political science students seeking a a doctor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

15 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Poly Sci

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Yale University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in political science. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Yale University

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Harvard University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in political science. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge.More information about a doctorate in political science from Harvard University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

University of Chicago is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a doctor's degree in political science. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in political science. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a doctorate in political science from Stanford University

6
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a doctorate in political science from Rice University

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from University of Pennsylvania

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a doctorate in political science from Northwestern University

9
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton.More information about a doctorate in political science from Princeton University

10
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Duke University

11
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Brown University

12
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Georgetown University

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.More information about a doctorate in political science from Cornell University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in political science from Johns Hopkins University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science from Washington University in St Louis

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
16 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
17 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
18 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
19 New York University New York, NY
20 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
21 Emory University Atlanta, GA
22 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
23 George Washington University Washington, DC
24 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
25 Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA

Political Science by Region

View the Best Political Science Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Political Science is one of 4 different types of Political Science & Government programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Poly Sci

Related Major Annual Graduates
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Notes and References

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