Political science has long been a popular major among college students. And studying political science can be translated into a wide range of professional roles that many students may not even have thought about. For instance, students who earn degrees in political science often go off into legal careers, public relations careers, marketing, and many other directions that students may not have considered when majoring in political science.
Students with degrees in political science can also go on to become professional political scientists. 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 smart professional route to take with this major is to become a college political scientist 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.
Considering its popularity as a major and the intriguing 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 Pennsylvania. We analyzed 130 colleges in Pennsylvania, including both four-year 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 Pennsylvania for the academic year 2023-2024. (See the methodology section for more details.)
Read on to find out the best colleges for political science degrees in Pennsylvania.
Best Colleges for Political Science in Pennsylvania
For our political science degree study, we analyzed all the four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Pennsylvania in terms of a variety of 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. Furthermore, another crucial factor was the proportion of degrees in political science compared to the student population. This was done in order to allow smaller private colleges to 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 Pennsylvania offer it mainly on the bachelor’s degree level. However, the other half offer political science degrees on the master’s and doctoral level. Usually, it was public colleges that offered degrees in political science higher than a bachelor’s. 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 Penn State University) have the numbers, resources, and funding to sustain vaster economies of scale than private colleges. This allows large public research colleges to fund not just political science departments, but entire schools of political science.
Fortunately, Pennsylvania state also has a number of private colleges that ranked among the best colleges for political science. In the top-10 list of our choices of the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania, the majority of schools are private, not-for-profit ones.
Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania, including how much they cost to attend, their graduation rates, and more.
Bucknell University
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 88%
Tuition and required fees: $61,746
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally, established in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now includes the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. Though technically a small private college, Bucknell University is particularly popular across the country, with the school receiving more than 11,200 applications in fall 2021. However, Bucknell is academically rigorous and selective, boasting a graduation rate of 88%, one of the highest in the study. What’s more, its undergraduate acceptance rate is only 35%, making it very competitive compared to most Pennsylvania colleges.
Bucknell University offers degrees in political science on the bachelor’s level and features the one of the highest proportions of political science bachelor’s degrees to its undergraduate population, at 2.04%, meaning that majoring in political science is very popular at the school. The main undergraduate political science programs offered include its Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Minor in Political Science. What’s particularly cool about political science majors at Bucknell is that almost half of students in this field study abroad across a range of countries.
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Bucknell University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 76 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Gettysburg College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 82%
Tuition and required fees: $61,760
Appropriately located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1832, with its campus right alongside the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has a total student population of just around 2,400 students, all of which are undergraduates. With a graduation rate of 82%, Gettysburg College’s graduation rate far surpasses the average graduation rate for the study as a whole, 64%. Added to this, Gettysburg College also has an undergraduate acceptance rate of 56%, which is much more selective than most colleges in Pennsylvania.
These general strong academic credentials combined with more specific factors helped makes Gettysburg College No. 1 best college for political science in Pennsylvania. Since all students at Gettysburg College are undergraduates, political science degrees are awarded only on the bachelor’s level. Still, the quantity of degrees in this field is impressive for the school’s size. Gettysburg has one the highest proportion of political science degrees versus its undergraduate population in the whole study, at 2.67%. The main programs in political science offered by Gettysburg College include its Political Science Major and Political Science Minor. Interestingly, all political science majors specialize in two of four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory.
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Gettysburg College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 64 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Haverford College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 90%
Tuition and required fees: $63,628
Located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, Haverford College is a private liberal arts college, originally founded as a men's college in 1833 by Quakers, which then began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coed in 1980. In terms of academics, Haverford College is superb, boasting an exceptionally high graduation rate of 90%, blowing away the 64% average graduation rate for all 130 Pennsylvania colleges analyzed in the study. Admissions at Haverford are also very competitive, with the school having a highly selective undergraduate acceptance rate of only 18%. Haverford College, in a separate BrokeScholar study, ranked as the fourth best college in Pennsylvania.
In addition to the above factors, what also makes Haverford College one of the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania is its very high proportion of political science bachelor’s degrees to undergraduates, at 2.04%. And this proportion is even more important considering that Haverford College consists solely of undergraduate students. The main political science program on offer at Haverford College is its Political Science Major, which includes courses spanning five subfields and a senior project.
According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Haverford College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 29 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Lafayette College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 88%
Tuition and required fees: $59,368
Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1826. Lafayette is an all-undergraduate college, with a student body of a little over 2,700. The school boasts one of the highest graduation rates in the study at 88%, significantly higher than the 64% average graduation rate for the 130 Pennsylvania colleges considered in the study. Lafayette College is also on the more selective side in terms of admissions, having an undergraduate acceptance rate of 41%.
A big contributing factor that helps make Lafayette College one of the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania is the high proportion of political science degrees, 2.28%, versus its undergraduate population. However, the college only awards political science degrees on the bachelor’s level because all of its students are undergraduates. The school’s principal political science programs include its Government and Law Major and Government and Law Minor.
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Lafayette College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 50 awarded in Political Science and Government, General, and 12 awarded in Political Science and Government, Other.
Penn State University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 72%
Tuition and required fees: $19,286 for in-state | $38,651 for out-of-state
The Pennsylvania State University, or more commonly Penn State or PSU, is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Established back in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State at the time became the state's only land-grant university in 1863. Penn State is well-known nationwide, helped in this aspect by its perennially top-contending football program, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State is also a massive school, with a total student population of nearly 89,000, of which more than 73,000 students are undergraduates. This makes Penn State easily one of the largest colleges in the US.
When it comes to academics, Penn State ranks among the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Even with its massive student body, this public college maintains a better-than-average graduation rate of 72%. As a full-fledged land-grant research university, Penn State offers multiple degree levels when it comes to political science. The school’s programs include:
In addition to the degrees mentioned above, Penn State offers a slew of dual-degree programs, such as a Ph.D. in Political Science and Asian Studies or Political Science and Social Data Analytics. According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Penn State in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 154 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 11 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Doctoral degrees: 5 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Temple University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 75%
Tuition and required fees: $18,060 for in-state | $31,788 for out-of-state
One of Philadelphia’s many colleges, Temple University is a public state-related research university, originally founded in 1884. Pennsylvania has many large public colleges and Temple University is one of them. The school has a total student population of more than 35,600, which includes nearly 26,000 undergraduate students. Like other big state schools in Pennsylvania, Temple University still manages to maintain a solid graduation rate of 75%, which is 11 percentage points higher than the study’s overall average.
For such a large school, Temple University sports one of the higher proportions of political science degrees versus its undergraduate population, at 0.52%. Additionally, Temple University offers political science degrees on multiple levels, from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees. Temple’s main political science programs include:
According to NCES data, the primary political science degrees awarded by Temple University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 135 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Doctoral degrees: 1 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
University of Pennsylvania
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 96%
Tuition and required fees: $63,452
Located in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is frequently ranked as one of the best universities in the US. Not surprisingly, the University of Pennsylvania has the highest graduation rate in the study at 96%. The school’s academic rigor is also reflected in its tiny undergraduate acceptance rate of 6% while it received more than 56,000 applications in fall 2021. This makes UPenn one of the hardest colleges to get into in the US.
For a private college, the University of Pennsylvania is on the larger side, with over 28,000 total students, of which more than 11,200 students are undergraduates. Considering its large student body, the proportion of political science bachelor’s degrees versus its undergraduates is a comparatively high 0.88%. And UPenn offers political science degrees across multiple degree levels, all of which helps make the University of Pennsylvania one of the best colleges for political science in the state. The main political science programs offered at UPenn include:
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Penn in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 99 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 6 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Doctoral degrees: 7 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
University of Pittsburgh
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 84%
Tuition and required fees: $21,080 for in-state | $37,320 for out-of-state
The University of Pittsburgh is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus. Often just called Pitt, the University of Pittsburgh is one of Pennsylvania’s larger colleges, hosting a total student population of more than 33,200, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates. For a large state school, the University of Pittsburgh’s 84% graduation rate is excellent, a full 20 percentage points higher than the study’s overall average. And in terms of admissions, Pitt is pretty competitive for a public school, possessing an undergraduate acceptance rate of 67%.
Thanks to its vast resources as a public research university, the University of Pittsburgh offers tons of programs in political science. The school’s variety and specializations in the field helps make it one of the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania. Below are some of the key programs in political science offered by Pitt:
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by the University of Pittsburgh in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 114 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 3 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Doctoral degrees: 8 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
Villanova University
Type: 4-year, private-not-profit
Graduation rate: 91%
Tuition and required fees: $63,806
Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, very much within the vicinity of Philadelphia. Originally founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova, Villanova University is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania. Villanova has an undergraduate population of just over 7,000 and a total student population of over 10,000. The university boasts an excellent graduation rate of 91%, well above the 64% average graduation rate for the study overall. Furthermore, Villanova is a competitive school to get into, possessing an undergraduate acceptance rate of 25%.
Villanova University offers degrees in political science on multiple degree levels. The school also has a relatively high proportion of political science degrees versus its undergraduate population, at 1.32%. The principal political science programs offered by Villanova include:
According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Villanova in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 93 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
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Master’s degrees: 14 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.
The Bottom Line on the Best Colleges for Political Science in Pennsylvania
Thus, Pennsylvania is a great state for students to pursue a major in political science, as well as pursue higher levels of degrees in this subject. The best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania include both large, state colleges as well as smaller private, not-for-profit schools. Furthermore, many colleges boast high numbers of degrees in political science as well as a high proportions of degrees in political science versus their student populations. The college that awarded the most bachelor’s degrees in political science was Penn State University, with 170 conferred in the last academic year alone. On the other hand, the school with the highest proportion of bachelor’s degrees in political science compared to its undergraduate student population was Gettysburg College, at 2.67%.
Many of these Pennsylvania colleges, however, can be on the expensive side. Since many of the top colleges for political science are private schools, their tuition rates can be quite high. Indeed, five colleges to make the list of the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania have annual costs of tuition and required fees in excess of $60,000. Fortunately for prospective and current students, BrokeScholar has a vast library of college scholarships for political science majors. Winning one of these scholarships can lead to a serious reduction in the cost of attending college and studying political science, whether it’s on the undergraduate or graduate level.
Methodology
In order to identify the best colleges for political science in Pennsylvania, we analyzed 130 colleges and universities that fit the following criteria:
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Are four-year, 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 130 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 marketing; and the proportion of these degrees to the undergraduate population.
