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Political Science & Government

Types of Degrees Political Science & Government Majors Are Earning

Those studying Political Science & Government can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	21
Associate’s Degree	2,212
Bachelor’s Degree	39,672
Master’s Degree	2,289
Doctor’s Degree	748

What Political Science & Government Majors Need to Know

Programs in Political Science & Government develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Political Science & Government graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Political Science & Government emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Political Science & Government program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Political Science & Government careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Political Science & Government graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Political Science & Government professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
WinBUGS	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Political Science & Government graduates include:

• College Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Professor
• Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• Public Policy Professor
• Government Teacher
• Public Administration Professor
• Government Professor
• Government Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Political Science & Government graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	46.7%
Bachelor’s degree	33.1%
Master’s degree	6.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.6%
Some college courses	1.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Political Science & Government?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54% women and 46% men among Political Science & Government graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	24,268	54.0%
Men	20,674	46.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Political Science & Government graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	23,673	52.7%
Asian	2,843	6.3%
Hispanic or Latino	9,235	20.5%
Black or African American	3,953	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	124	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	69	0.2%
Two or More Races	2,265	5.0%
Race Unknown	1,038	2.3%
International Students	1,742	3.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Political Science & Government Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Political Science & Government graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,510
4 years	$55,642
5 years	$66,446

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,446 — roughly 73% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Political Science & Government Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Political Science & Government. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	26	21
Bachelor’s	48	52
Master’s	13	16

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Political Science & Government Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Political Science & Government graduates earn a median of $55,642 four years after completion — roughly 46% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Social Sciences	45
Anthropology	45.02
Archeology	45.03
Criminology	45.04
Demography	45.05
Economics	45.06
Geography and Anthropology	45.15
Geography and Cartography	45.07
International Relations and National Security Studies	45.09
Rural Sociology	45.14
Social Sciences, General	45.01
Social Sciences, Other	45.99

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.