by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 155 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Political Science Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,676 master's degrees in political science to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of political science for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree 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.
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 students working on their master's degree.
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 Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for political science students seeking a a master'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.
Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in political science. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in political science. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Johns Hopkins University
Yale University is a good decision for students interested in a master's degree in political science. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in political science from Yale University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in political science has to take a look at Duke University. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in political science from Duke University
Rice University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in political science. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Rice University
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in political science from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Stanford University
Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in political science from Georgetown University
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in political science from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Princeton University
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Vanderbilt University
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from George Washington University
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Cornell University
Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence.More information about a master’s in political science from Brown University
Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from Northwestern University
WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in political science from Washington University in St Louis
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in political science from New York University
UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in political science from University of Chicago
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in political science from University of Notre Dame
UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in political science from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from University of California - Berkeley
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a master’s in political science from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in political science from Emory University
Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in political science from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Here are some additional great schools for Political Science students that almost earned our Best Political Science Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 27 | The Graduate Center, CUNY | New York, NY |
| 28 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 29 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 30 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 31 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 24 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 25 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
View the Best Political Science Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 4 majors within the Political Science & Government area of study, Political Science has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| American Government & Politics (United States) | 176 |
| Other Political Science & Government | 72 |
| Political Economy | 12 |
