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

50 Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,186 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,701 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #12 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 50 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,186 bachelor's degrees in political science & government during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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 Plains States 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges 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.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools 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

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.

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.

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

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
87 Annual Graduates
$45,909 Median Starting Salary
$18,500 Median Student Debt

Washington University in St Louis is a good decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at Washington University in St Louis earn $12,208 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Washington University in St Louis

2
248 Annual Graduates
$36,359 Median Starting Salary
$20,465 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government needs to take a look at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $2,658 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
107 Annual Graduates
$35,343 Median Starting Salary
$22,517 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in political science & government needs to take a look at University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program report average early career earnings of $35,343.

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

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
119 Annual Graduates
$37,220 Median Starting Salary
$24,250 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to look into University of Iowa. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at University of Iowa get $3,519 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

5
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
103 Annual Graduates
$35,655 Median Starting Salary
$22,249 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, political science bachelor's recipients typically earn around $35,655 at the beginning of their careers.

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

6
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
32 Annual Graduates
$31,893 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

Grinnell is a small private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Grinnell.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make an average of $31,893 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Grinnell College

7
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
49 Annual Graduates
$38,398 Median Starting Salary
$24,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from St Olaf College receive $4,697 more than the typical political science graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from St Olaf College

8
69 Annual Graduates
$35,620 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program make around $35,620 for their early career.

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

9
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
15 Annual Graduates
$46,610 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at Augustana University get $12,909 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

10
78 Annual Graduates
$25,360 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the political science program earn an average of $25,360 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 549
Minnesota 215 674
Iowa 197 389
Kansas 184 260
Nebraska 180 193
North Dakota 149 55
South Dakota 148 66

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 2,165
American Government & Politics (United States) 11
Political Economy 5
Other Political Science & Government 5

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 1,886
Sociology 1,163
Anthropology 529
General Social Sciences 373
International Relations & National Security 334
Geography & Cartography 244
Urban Studies 68
Sociology & Anthropology 48
Other Social Sciences 20
Archeology 7

Notes and References

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