by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 160 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. Combined, these schools handed out 1,936 master's degrees in political science & government to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The political science master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. 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 combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 & government students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 & government 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.
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in political science & government has to check out Harvard University. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University is a wonderful option for students interested in a master's degree in political science & government. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those political science & government students who get their master's degree from Johns Hopkins University make $32,181 more than the average political science student.
More information about a master’s in political science & government from Johns Hopkins University
Yale University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in political science & government. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Yale University
Rice University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Rice University
Duke University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in political science & government. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Duke University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Stanford University
Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.
Master's recipients from the political science & government major at Georgetown University earn $8,477 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in political science & government from Georgetown University
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the 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 & government from Princeton University
Located in the large 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 & government from Vanderbilt University
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Political Science & Government master's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of approximately $21,199 over the typical income of political science & government majors.
More information about a master’s in political science & government from George Washington University
Located in the 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 & government from Cornell University
Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Brown University
Located in the small 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 & government from Northwestern University
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Washington University in St Louis
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in political science & government from New York University
UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of Chicago
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of Notre Dame
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley
Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Teachers College at Columbia University
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in political science & government from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in political science & government 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 & government from University of Virginia - Main Campus
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 & Government Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 27 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 28 | The Graduate Center, CUNY | New York, NY |
| 29 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 30 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 31 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 32 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 25 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
View the Best Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science | 1,676 |
| American Government & Politics (United States) | 176 |
| Other Political Science & Government | 72 |
| Political Economy | 12 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 4,803 |
| International Relations & National Security | 4,426 |
| Sociology | 1,298 |
| Geography & Cartography | 1,076 |
| Anthropology | 941 |
| General Social Sciences | 596 |
| Other Social Sciences | 378 |
| Urban Studies | 351 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 51 |
| Archeology | 48 |
