Political science is a common major among college students these days, but many prospective degree-earners in political science don’t realize the professional career paths they can use this major for. First off, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), the average annual pay for a political scientist is $120,430. That’s more than double the average annual wage for all occupations in general, $58,260. What’s more, another solid professional route to take with this major is to become a political scientist college professor (or political science teacher, postsecondary, as termed by the BLS). The average annual wage for a college political scientist professor is $98,980, which is also well above the average pay for all occupations combined. So, pursuing a major in political science can be both very interesting academically and potentially lucrative.
But what do political scientists do? Political scientists study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. Political science thus has a history component and a current affairs component to it. And, in more good news for potential political science majors, employment of political scientists is projected to grow by 6% over the 10 years from 2021 to 2031, according to the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). And, of course, just because you majored in political science does not mean you have to become a professional political scientist. You can translate the knowledge you gained in your political science studies into a career as a public relations specialist or manager, paralegal or lawyer, policy researcher, market researcher, or a lobbyist, among many other professional fields.
Considering its popularity as a major and the interesting array of professional fields it can apply to, we decided to investigate the best colleges for political science. For our study here, BrokeScholar is focusing on identifying the best colleges for political science in Michigan. We analyzed 89 colleges in Michigan, including both public institutions and private, not-for-profit institutions, but not-for-profit institutions. Using data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), we constructed a list of the best colleges for political science in Michigan for the academic year 2023-2024. (See the methodology section for details).
Read on to find out the best colleges for political science degrees in Michigan.
Best Colleges for Political Science in Michigan
For our political science degree study, we analyzed all the public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Michigan in terms of various factors. These included the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in Political Science and Government, General; and Political Science and Government, Other (terminology provided by the NCES), graduation rates, estimated annual cost of tuition and required fees. Another critical factor was the proportion of degrees in political science compared to the student population, so that smaller private colleges could rank as well and not get pushed out by the sheer quantity of political science degrees awarded by larger public colleges.
In terms of the level of degrees awarded in political science, half of the top 10 best colleges for political science in Michigan offer it only on the bachelor’s degree level. The other five colleges that do award political science degrees on the graduate level are composed of one private, not-for-profit college, and four public colleges. The main reason for public colleges offering political science degrees on the graduate level is that large, public research universities (aka big state schools, like Michigan State University) have the numbers, resources, and funding to sustain vaster economies of scale than private colleges. This allows large public colleges to fund not just political science departments, but entire schools of political science, which often can provide tailored master’s and doctoral programs in the field. The one private college that made our list and offers graduate degrees in political science, however, is exceptional in its political science programs, especially for its small size.
So, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 best colleges for political science in Michigan, including how much they cost to attend, their graduation rates, and more.
Albion College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 64%
Tuition and required fees: $55,115
Appropriately located in Albion, Michigan, about 40 miles south-southwest of Lansing, Albion College is a small private liberal arts college with a total student population of roughly 1,523, all of them undergraduates. Albion College has a graduation rate of 64%, which is better than the average graduation rate of 45% for all 89 Michigan colleges analyzed in the study. On top of that, with an admission rate of 69%, Albion College is more selective than the majority of the best colleges for political science in the state, and makes it one of the harder colleges to get into in Michigan.
Albion College also features a high proportion of political science degrees compared to undergraduate students, at 1.12%, one of the highest rates in the study. This was a significant factor that contributed to Albion College ranking among the best colleges for political science in Michigan. The college offers an innovative political science program, including majoring in and getting a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (you can also minor in it), as well as the ability to pursue an Education Certification as part of your political science studies. As either a political science major or minor, you can attain your secondary-level (grades 6 through 12) Michigan state teaching certification, which is a pretty cool perk.
According to NCES data, the primary political science degrees awarded by Albion College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 17 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Grand Valley State University
Type: 4-year, public
Graduation rate: 67%
Tuition and required fees: $14,652 for in-state | $20,540 for out-of-state
Grand Valley State University is a large state college located in Allendale, which is just to the west of Grand Rapids, Michigan. With a total student population of over 22,000, including more than 19,000 undergraduates, Grand Valley State still manages to maintain a graduation rate of 67%, which is one of the highest graduation rates of colleges in the state and also among the highest for the best colleges for political science in Michigan. It’s also 12 percentage points higher than the study’s overall average of 45%. Plus, Grand Valley State University is one of a select few colleges with no application fee in Michigan.
At Grand Valley State, you can choose to either earn a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science or a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, as well as minor in it. And, pursuing a major in political science means you can tack on a secondary education minor or a teaching minor, and set yourself up as a teacher of political science; even if you don’t want to be a teacher, this is a nice option to keep in your back pocket.
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Grand Valley State in the last academic year include:
- Bachelor’s degrees: 56 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Hillsdale College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 88%
Tuition and required fees: $30,902
A private conservative, Christian liberal arts college in southern central Michigan, originally founded in 1844 by abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists, Hillsdale College is easily the best college for political science in Michigan among private colleges. Hillsdale College is well-known among conservative political circles, centering its educational curriculum on the study of Western heritage as a combination of classical Greco-Roman culture and Christian tradition.
Whatever your politics, there’s no arguing with the fact that Hillsdale College has excellent academic credentials. Plus, it's one of the It has one of the highest graduation rates in Michigan and among the best colleges for political science in the state, at 88%. Hillsdale College is also very selective with its admissions, sporting an undergraduate acceptance rate of only 24%, making it one of the harder colleges to get into. The college also boasts a record of notable present, visiting, and past professors, including military historian Victor David Hanson, author of the highly influential The Western Way of War (published in 1989, with an introduction by renown military historian John Keegan); best-selling historian David McCullough, who authored John Adams, which was turned into a critically-acclaimed HBO miniseries; and Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas.
Hillsdale College is one of the few best colleges for political science in Michigan to offer graduate-level degrees in political science in addition to bachelor’s degrees. Some of the key political science programs offered at Hillsdale College include:
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Bachelor of Arts in Politics (also can minor in it)
With a total student population of just over 1,600 and a combined 46 political science degrees awarded across multiple levels, Hillsdale College has the highest proportion of political science degrees awarded versus its student population, at 2.87%. According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Hillsdale College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 31 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 13 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Doctoral degrees: 2 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Hope College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 81%
Tuition and required fees: $38,370
Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, near the Lower Peninsula’s western coast on Lake Michigan, about 30 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. With over 3,100 undergraduate students, Hope College is one of the bigger private colleges to make our list of the best colleges for political science in Michigan. Boasting a graduation rate of 81%, Hope College’s rate is vastly superior to the Michigan average of 45%. Since the school is totally populated by undergraduates, Hope College only awards political science degrees on the bachelor’s level, but notably awards a higher-than-average proportion of political science degrees compared to the size of its student base, at 0.51%. The main political science programs on offer at Hope College include:
According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Hope College in the last academic year include:
- Bachelor’s degrees: 16 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Kalamazoo College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 76%
Tuition and required fees: $56,001
Kalamazoo College is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that was founded in 1833 originally as the Michigan and Huron Institute. With its 1833 founding date, Kalamazoo College is the oldest private college in the US state of Michigan. With an undergraduate student population of approximately 1,241 and no graduate students, Kalamazoo College is on the smaller side of private, not-for-profit colleges. Though a small school, Kalamazoo College has a high proportion of political science bachelor’s degrees awarded compared to the undergraduate population, at 1.05%. This factor helped boost Kalamazoo College to rank among the best colleges for political science in Michigan. The college’s graduation rate of 76% is also another plus, as this rate is much higher than the average graduation rate for the 89 Michigan colleges analyzed in our study.
Since Kalamazoo College only has undergraduate students, it only awards political science degrees on the bachelor’s level. But Kalamazoo offers a robust curriculum, with political science students learning about the broad fields of US, comparative, and international politics and political theory in classes such as Race Law and U.S. Policy; Politics of Latin America; International Law and Organization; and Feminist Political Theories, among many other courses. You can major in and receive a bachelor’s degree in political science or pursue it as a minor.
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Kalamazoo College in the last academic year include:
- Bachelor’s degrees: 13 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Michigan State University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 82%
Tuition and required fees: $15,436 for in-state | $42,022 for out-of-state
Located in East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan State University (MSU) is the home of the Michigan State Spartans and a big state college, with a total student population of over 49,000, including more than 38,500 undergraduates. MSU’s graduation rate of 82% is one of the highest graduation rates of colleges in the state as well as among the highest for the best political science colleges in Michigan. And not only is MSU one of the best schools for political science, it's one of the best colleges for accounting in Michigan as well.
As a land-grant research university, Michigan State is equipped with the resources to construct robust academic departments and programs. Michigan State University is made up of 17 colleges covering different fields of study. For students wanting to major in political science, the College of Social Science is where you’ll study. With Michigan State University awarding a combined 216 degrees in political science, the ratio of political science degrees to total student population is 0.43%, which may seem small, but is very strong for a college of Michigan State’s size.
Michigan State University has several academic programs in the field of political science:
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Michigan State University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 141 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 3 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
- Doctoral degrees: 8 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Oakland University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 56%
Tuition and required fees: $13,934 for in-state | $24,708 for out-of-state
Located northwest of Detroit, Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It has an undergraduate population of over 13,700 students and a graduation rate of 56%, which beats the study’s overall average by 11 percentage points. Oakland University is one of the top colleges for political science in Michigan thanks to a combo of its affordability, solid graduation rate, and multiple political science programs. Through its College of Arts and Sciences, undergraduates and graduate students can pursue degrees in political science, such as:
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Bachelor of Arts in Political Science: Offered with the option of a Specialization in Campaigns & Elections or a Specialization in Courts, Justice & Politics
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Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Public Policy
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Oakland University in the last academic year include:
- Bachelor’s degrees: 42 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 94%
Tuition and required fees: $16,736 for in-state | $55,334 for out-of-state
The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (UMich), though a public school, is by far the hardest college to get into in Michigan. It also ranks as one of the best political science colleges in Michigan. With an undergraduate admission rate of only 20%, UMich is one of the most selective public colleges in the country. In addition, its graduation rate of 94% is far and away the highest in our study of 89 Michigan colleges (excluding two schools with 100% graduation rates, due to their tiny size and specialization). As Michigan’s premier state school, UMich possesses a similar economy of scale to Michigan State and, therefore, can sustain massive and sophisticated subsidiary schools, departments, and programs. The University of Michigan offers degrees in political science through its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA):
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by UMich in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 222 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 5 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
- Doctoral degrees: 8 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Wayne State University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 56%
Tuition and required fees: $14,464 for in-state | $30,914 for out-of-state
A public research university that calls Detroit its home, Wayne State University has a large student population, with more than 16,800 undergraduate students and nearly 25,000 total students. This makes Wayne State University one of the largest colleges in Michigan. Despite being a big state school, Wayne State University is much more competitive with its admissions compared to, for example, Grand Valley State University. Where Wayne State’s undergraduate acceptance rate is 63%, Grand Valley State’s acceptance rate is 92%, making Wayne State significantly more selective than the latter college. So, if you got accepted to multiple colleges in Michigan, you may not want to decline admission to this one.
With its numerous political science programs and various degree levels, combined with its comparative affordability, Wayne State is definitely one of the best colleges for political science in Michigan. At Wayne State University, you can earn the following degrees in political science through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:
According to NCES data, the primary political science degrees awarded by Wayne State University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 55 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 4 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
- Doctoral degrees: 5 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Western Michigan University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 56%
Tuition and required fees: $15,196 for in-state | $18,995 for out-of-state
Not too far from Kalamazoo College and in the same city, Western Michigan University wraps up our top-10 list of the best colleges for political science in Michigan. Western Michigan University has an undergraduate population in excess of 14,500 and a total student population of over 18,200. Even with such a large student body, Western Michigan maintains a graduation rate of 56%, which is 11 percentage points higher than the average graduation rate of the 89 Michigan colleges in our study. The political science programs you can pursue at Western Michigan University include:
According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Western Michigan University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 30 awarded in Political Science and Government, General, and 12 in Political Science and Government, Other.
- Master’s degrees: 5 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
The Bottom Line on the Best Colleges for Political Science in Michigan
If you’re looking to attend a college in Michigan with plans to study political science, you have some good options. The best colleges for political science in Michigan include both big, public colleges as well as smaller private, not-for-profit schools. The majority of the colleges that award political science degrees on the graduate level are public colleges, like the University of Michigan or Michigan State University. The college that awarded the most bachelor’s degrees in political science was UMich, with 222 conferred in the last academic year alone. However, the school with the highest proportion of degrees in political science compared to its total student population was Hillsdale College, at 2.87%.
Most of these Michigan colleges are affordable, however, some of the public schools’ out-of-state tuition can get costly, not to mention the private schools’ tuition rates. The good news for prospective and current students is that BrokeScholar sports an entire library of college scholarships for political science majors. Applying for and winning one of these scholarships can provide substantial assistance in reducing the cost of attending college, whether it’s on the undergraduate or graduate level.
Methodology
In order to identify the best colleges for political science in Michigan, we analyzed 89 colleges and universities that fit the following criteria:
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Are private, not-for-profit institutions or public institutions
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Offer a degree in Political Science and Government, General, and Political Science and Government, Other, on any degree level ranging from undergraduate certificates to doctoral degrees
These 89 colleges and universities were sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as was data on their respective undergraduate populations; undergraduate graduation rates; approximate costs of tuition and required fees; the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in political science; and the proportion of these degrees to the undergraduate or total student population, depending on whether or not the college awards political science degrees above the undergraduate level.
