2023 Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned a degree or certificate in political science and government, making the major the #20 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 110 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Political Science & Government Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
2023 Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Rice University to be the best school for political science and government students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Teachers College at Columbia University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Teachers College at Columbia University
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
Out of the 110 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Political Science & Government at Yale University Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
Full Political Science & Government at Stanford University Report
Request Information
Harvard University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Request Information
Duke University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Full Political Science & Government at Duke University Report
Request Information
Johns Hopkins University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Request Information
Cornell University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Political Science & Government at Cornell University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #10, Brown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students working on their doctor’s degree. Brown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Providence.
Request Information
University of Notre Dame did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for political science and government students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Notre Dame
Request Information
Princeton University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for political science and government students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton.
Request Information
Northwestern University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Request Information
University of Pennsylvania landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Request Information
University of Chicago landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree political science and government programs. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Chicago
Request Information
With a ranking of #16, Vanderbilt University did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt University
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC |
| 18 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 19 | Claremont Graduate University | Claremont, CA |
| 20 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 21 | Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 22 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
Political Science & Government by Region
View the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Political Science & Government Rankings
Political Science & Government Related Rankings by Major
One of 12 majors within the area of study, political science and government has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
More about our data sources and methodologies.