Political Science
Social Sciences · federal classification: Political Science and Government
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $60,545 | $53,970 to $68,116 | 571 | 96% |
| Master's Degree | $72,560 | $65,231 to $84,585 | 18 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 173,300 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $72,040 | -0.2% | 63,500 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | $61,990 | +5% | 4,900 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $98,070 | +2.5% | 1,500 |
| Economists | $124,720 | +4.7% | 1,100 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $123,920 | +2.4% | 1,000 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a political science program, of 1,227 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of California-Los Angeles
- George Washington University
- Florida State University
- University of California-Berkeley
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of California-San Diego
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.