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2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

178 Colleges
$19,377 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$50,486 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Political Science & Government Master'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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 178 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for political science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Political Science & Government

Our analysis found American Public University System to be the best value school for political science and government students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Military University are $7,050 per year.

Full Political Science & Government at American Public University System Report

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Out of the 178 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Liberty University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Political Science & Government at Liberty University Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means The Graduate Center, CUNY is a great value for political science and government students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Graduate Center are $23,640 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Graduate Center also is in the top 5% of our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at The Graduate Center, CUNY

Out of the 178 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Political Science & Government at Illinois State University Report

The excellent master’s degree programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value political science and government schools in the United States. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

WIU graduate students pay an average of $12,182 in tuition and fees each year.

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Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in tuition and fees each year.

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Citadel Military College of South Carolina came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. The Citadel is a small public school located in the midsize city of Charleston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Citadel are $18,540 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Citadel also is in the top 20% of our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Citadel Military College of South Carolina

University of Delaware landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public college with a very large student population.

UD graduate students pay an average of $18,128 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UD is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Delaware Report

#9

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

With a ranking of #9, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 a year.

Villanova excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read More…

#10

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cornell are $30,006 a year.

Cornell excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

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University of Akron Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,936 a year.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Akron Main Campus Report

Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at A-State are $11,408 per year.

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With a ranking of #13, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students working on their master’s degree. TWU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Denton.

TWU graduate students pay an average of $15,048 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Political Science & Government at Texas Woman’s University Report

#14

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Marquette is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Marquette are $21,960 per year.

Marquette excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Political Science & Government at Marquette University Report

Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree political science and government programs. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Teachers College graduate students pay an average of $35,054 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Teachers College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Teachers College at Columbia University

With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students working on their master’s degree. UIS is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UIS are $16,757 a year.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

#17

Augusta University

Augusta, GA

Augusta University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Augusta University are $20,712 per year.

Augusta University also claimed a spot on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Augusta University

#18

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX

Texas State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list. Texas State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Marcos.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Texas State are $17,220 per year.

Read More…

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for political science and government students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UNOMAHA graduate students pay an average of $16,374 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Nebraska at Omaha

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for political science and government students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UT Austin are $22,944 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UT Austin is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read More…

University of California - Berkeley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UC Berkeley are $29,262 a year.

UC Berkeley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Political Science & Government at University of California - Berkeley Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Madison is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#23

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

University of Virginia graduate students pay an average of $33,520 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Virginia also is in the top 5% of our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read More…

#24

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for political science and government students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Texas Tech are $17,698 per year.

Read More…

#25

George Washington University

Washington, DC

With a ranking of #25, George Washington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students working on their master’s degree. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at GWU are $32,904 per year.

GWU also claimed a spot on our Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

Rest of the Top Best Value Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools

#26

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Political Science & Government students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
27 University of North Texas Denton, TX
28 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
29 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
30 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
30 Rice University Houston, TX
32 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
33 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
33 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
33 California State University - Chico Chico, CA

Political Science & Government by Region

View the Best Value Political Science & Government Master'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

One of 12 majors within the area of study, political science and government has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

  • 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.

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