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2024 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

130 Colleges in the Southeast Region
10,731 Bachelor's Degrees
$31,662 Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #12 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 130 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. Combined, these schools handed out 10,731 bachelor's degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region The political science bachelor'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor'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 ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

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 bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Political Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in the Southeast Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for political science & government students seeking a a bachelor'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.

19 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
105 Annual Graduates
$43,130 Median Starting Salary
$14,016 Median Student Debt

Duke University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of approximately $11,468 over the average income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Duke University

2
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
89 Annual Graduates
$43,927 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at Vanderbilt University make $12,265 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Vanderbilt University

3
108 Annual Graduates
$45,129 Median Starting Salary
$18,015 Median Student Debt

University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at University of Virginia - Main Campus get $13,467 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Virginia - Main Campus

4
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
107 Annual Graduates
$37,188 Median Starting Salary
$17,590 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to look into Emory University. Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Emory University receive $5,526 more than the average political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Emory University

5
334 Annual Graduates
$36,613 Median Starting Salary
$15,100 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn a boost of around $4,951 over the typical income of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6

Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lexington.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University make $15,569 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Washington and Lee University

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
336 Annual Graduates
$28,878 Median Starting Salary
$16,068 Median Student Debt

UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program make around $28,878 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Florida

8
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
185 Annual Graduates
$38,529 Median Starting Salary
$24,250 Median Student Debt

Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at Virginia Tech earn $6,867 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Virginia Tech

9
177 Annual Graduates
$30,254 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

After graduating, political science bachelor's recipients generally make about $30,254 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Tulane University of Louisiana

10
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
125 Annual Graduates
$49,727 Median Starting Salary
$23,133 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Wake Forest University earn $18,065 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Wake Forest University

11
234 Annual Graduates
$33,737 Median Starting Salary
$22,171 Median Student Debt

UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Georgia receive $2,075 more than the typical political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Georgia

12
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
170 Annual Graduates
$43,630 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at William & Mary get $11,968 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from William & Mary

13
207 Annual Graduates
$42,975 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from George Mason University earn $11,313 more than the typical political science graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from George Mason University

14
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
477 Annual Graduates
$31,872 Median Starting Salary
$18,700 Median Student Debt

Florida State is a very large public university located in the city of Tallahassee.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the political science program earn about $31,872 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Florida State University

15
196 Annual Graduates
$31,397 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make about $31,397 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of South Carolina - Columbia

16
212 Annual Graduates
$33,300 Median Starting Salary
$23,785 Median Student Debt

UA is a very large public university located in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program make an average of $33,300 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from The University of Alabama

17
176 Annual Graduates
$28,920 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UT Knoxville is a fairly large public university located in the city of Knoxville.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program report average early career earnings of $28,920.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

18
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
119 Annual Graduates
$35,969 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from James Madison University receive $4,307 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from James Madison University

19
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
100 Annual Graduates
$32,000 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,000.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Miami

Rest of the Top Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
26 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
20 Florida International University Miami, FL
21 Furman University Greenville, SC
22 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
23 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
24 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
25 Clemson University Clemson, SC

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 2,430
Georgia 224 1,125
Tennessee 220 694
North Carolina 213 1,695
Virginia 213 1,669
South Carolina 195 756
Kentucky 187 425
Alabama 184 561
Louisiana 171 558
Mississippi 169 268
Arkansas 167 289
West Virginia 147 245

View All Rankings >

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

Political Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 10,431
Other Political Science & Government 235
Political Economy 57
American Government & Politics (United States) 8

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 5,685
Economics 5,395
International Relations & National Security 2,620
Anthropology 1,803
General Social Sciences 1,327
Geography & Cartography 679
Sociology & Anthropology 120
Urban Studies 86
Other Social Sciences 73
Archeology 20

Notes and References

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