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Political Science and Government.

Doctoral Degree•123 Institutions

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($72,482)

P25-P75 Interval ($57,318 - $84,653)

HS Baseline ($35,872)

Breakeven Line (0% ROI)

Institution	State	Earnings	Avg Net Price	Median Debt	Lifetime Value Added
University of California-San Diego La Jolla	CA	$104,566 Nat: $90,908 4yr Post-Grad	$12,470 /yr	-	+$83k
University of Maryland-College Park College Park	MD	$105,840 Nat: $90,908 4yr Post-Grad	$15,678 /yr	-	+$81k
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa	AL	- Nat: $90,908	$22,420 /yr	-	-$0
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe	AZ	- Nat: $90,908	$14,967 /yr	-	-$0
University of Arizona Tucson	AZ	- Nat: $90,908	$16,674 /yr	-	-$0
Northern Arizona University Flagstaff	AZ	- Nat: $90,908	$14,158 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Davis Davis	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$14,741 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Irvine Irvine	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$14,251 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Riverside Riverside	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$14,304 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$16,109 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$17,890 /yr	-	-$0
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins	CO	- Nat: $90,908	$21,279 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut Storrs	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$25,097 /yr	-	-$0
Yale University New Haven	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$23,777 /yr	-	-$0
University of Delaware Newark	DE	- Nat: $90,908	$17,799 /yr	-	-$0
American University Washington	DC	- Nat: $90,908	$41,943 /yr	-	-$0
The Catholic University of America Washington	DC	- Nat: $90,908	$29,561 /yr	-	-$0
George Washington University Washington	DC	- Nat: $90,908	$36,586 /yr	-	-$0
Georgetown University Washington	DC	- Nat: $90,908	$40,815 /yr	-	-$0
Howard University Washington	DC	- Nat: $90,908	$50,539 /yr	-	-$0
Florida International University Miami	FL	- Nat: $90,908	$9,288 /yr	-	-$0
Florida State University Tallahassee	FL	- Nat: $90,908	$11,297 /yr	-	-$0
Clark Atlanta University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $90,908	$37,702 /yr	-	-$0
Emory University Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $90,908	$22,585 /yr	-	-$0
Georgia State University Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $90,908	$15,931 /yr	-	-$0
University of Georgia Athens	GA	- Nat: $90,908	$13,936 /yr	-	-$0
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu	HI	- Nat: $90,908	$15,664 /yr	-	-$0
Idaho State University Pocatello	ID	- Nat: $90,908	$12,193 /yr	-	-$0
University of Idaho Moscow	ID	- Nat: $90,908	$14,831 /yr	-	-$0
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago	IL	- Nat: $90,908	$10,974 /yr	-	-$0
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign	IL	- Nat: $90,908	$14,355 /yr	-	-$0
Northern Illinois University Dekalb	IL	- Nat: $90,908	$13,391 /yr	-	-$0
Northwestern University Evanston	IL	- Nat: $90,908	$29,167 /yr	-	-$0
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale	IL	- Nat: $90,908	$13,297 /yr	-	-$0
Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington	IN	- Nat: $90,908	$16,264 /yr	-	-$0
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame	IN	- Nat: $90,908	$26,780 /yr	-	-$0
University of Iowa Iowa City	IA	- Nat: $90,908	$22,531 /yr	-	-$0
University of Kansas Lawrence	KS	- Nat: $90,908	$18,059 /yr	-	-$0
University of Kentucky Lexington	KY	- Nat: $90,908	$18,851 /yr	-	-$0
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge	LA	- Nat: $90,908	$19,151 /yr	-	-$0
University of New Orleans ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. New Orleans	LA	- Nat: $90,908	$12,384 /yr	-	-$0
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore	MD	- Nat: $90,908	$18,809 /yr	-	-$0
Boston College Chestnut Hill	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$41,704 /yr	-	-$0
Boston University Boston	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$24,402 /yr	-	-$0
Brandeis University Waltham	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$35,736 /yr	-	-$0
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$22,383 /yr	-	-$0
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$20,111 /yr	-	-$0
Northeastern University Boston	MA	- Nat: $90,908	$30,915 /yr	-	-$0
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor	MI	- Nat: $90,908	$13,138 /yr	-	-$0
Michigan State University East Lansing	MI	- Nat: $90,908	$19,680 /yr	-	-$0
Wayne State University Detroit	MI	- Nat: $90,908	$12,766 /yr	-	-$0
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo	MI	- Nat: $90,908	$15,273 /yr	-	-$0
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis	MN	- Nat: $90,908	$16,778 /yr	-	-$0
University of Mississippi University	MS	- Nat: $90,908	$13,314 /yr	-	-$0
Mississippi State University Mississippi State	MS	- Nat: $90,908	$17,595 /yr	-	-$0
University of Missouri-St Louis ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Saint Louis	MO	- Nat: $90,908	$15,071 /yr	-	-$0
Washington University in St Louis St. Louis	MO	- Nat: $90,908	$21,786 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln	NE	- Nat: $90,908	$17,747 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas	NV	- Nat: $90,908	$10,359 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nevada-Reno Reno	NV	- Nat: $90,908	$15,927 /yr	-	-$0
Princeton University Princeton	NJ	- Nat: $90,908	$6,128 /yr	-	-$0
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick	NJ	- Nat: $90,908	$24,406 /yr	-	-$0
University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque	NM	- Nat: $90,908	$15,489 /yr	-	-$0
Columbia University in the City of New York New York	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$21,590 /yr	-	-$0
Cornell University Ithaca	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$28,690 /yr	-	-$0
CUNY Graduate School and University Center ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. New York	NY	- Nat: $90,908	- /yr	-	-$0
The New School New York	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$58,741 /yr	-	-$0
New York University New York	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$37,050 /yr	-	-$0
University of Rochester Rochester	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$29,278 /yr	-	-$0
University at Albany Albany	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$17,167 /yr	-	-$0
University at Buffalo Buffalo	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$20,995 /yr	-	-$0
Stony Brook University Stony Brook	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$18,784 /yr	-	-$0
Syracuse University Syracuse	NY	- Nat: $90,908	$38,793 /yr	-	-$0
Teachers College at Columbia University New York	NY	- Nat: $90,908	- /yr	-	-$0
Duke University Durham	NC	- Nat: $90,908	$29,612 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill	NC	- Nat: $90,908	$11,655 /yr	-	-$0
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati	OH	- Nat: $90,908	$25,648 /yr	-	-$0
Kent State University at Kent Kent	OH	- Nat: $90,908	$20,787 /yr	-	-$0
Miami University-Oxford Oxford	OH	- Nat: $90,908	$28,384 /yr	-	-$0
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus	OH	- Nat: $90,908	$17,339 /yr	-	-$0
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman	OK	- Nat: $90,908	$15,300 /yr	-	-$0
University of Oregon Eugene	OR	- Nat: $90,908	$22,182 /yr	-	-$0
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park	PA	- Nat: $90,908	$32,875 /yr	-	-$0
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia	PA	- Nat: $90,908	$28,699 /yr	-	-$0
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh	PA	- Nat: $90,908	$30,434 /yr	-	-$0
Temple University Philadelphia	PA	- Nat: $90,908	$28,198 /yr	-	-$0
Brown University Providence	RI	- Nat: $90,908	$25,184 /yr	-	-$0
University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia	SC	- Nat: $90,908	$22,811 /yr	-	-$0
University of South Dakota Vermillion	SD	- Nat: $90,908	$19,858 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville	TN	- Nat: $90,908	$18,976 /yr	-	-$0
Vanderbilt University Nashville	TN	- Nat: $90,908	$15,846 /yr	-	-$0
Baylor University Waco	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$41,104 /yr	-	-$0
University of Dallas Irving	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$22,610 /yr	-	-$0
University of Houston Houston	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$14,276 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Texas Denton	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$15,649 /yr	-	-$0
Rice University Houston	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$13,370 /yr	-	-$0
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$21,315 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$18,267 /yr	-	-$0
Texas Tech University Lubbock	TX	- Nat: $90,908	$19,070 /yr	-	-$0
University of Utah Salt Lake City	UT	- Nat: $90,908	$16,200 /yr	-	-$0
George Mason University Fairfax	VA	- Nat: $90,908	$17,915 /yr	-	-$0
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville	VA	- Nat: $90,908	$21,565 /yr	-	-$0
Washington State University Pullman	WA	- Nat: $90,908	$14,971 /yr	-	-$0
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle	WA	- Nat: $90,908	$14,091 /yr	-	-$0
West Virginia University Morgantown	WV	- Nat: $90,908	$15,634 /yr	-	-$0
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison	WI	- Nat: $90,908	$17,354 /yr	-	-$0
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee	WI	- Nat: $90,908	$15,014 /yr	-	-$0
Stanford University Stanford	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$13,807 /yr	-	-$0
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette	IN	- Nat: $90,908	$14,600 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$10,875 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$13,807 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$16,798 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Merced Merced	CA	- Nat: $90,908	$11,983 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford	CT	- Nat: $90,908	$16,403 /yr	-	-$0
Harvard University Cambridge	MA	$84,653 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$19,066 /yr	-	-$63k
Claremont Graduate University Claremont	CA	$69,338 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	- /yr	-	-$113k
University of Chicago Chicago	IL	$74,576 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$14,860 /yr	-	-$126k
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley	CA	$72,482 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$13,481 /yr	-	-$137k
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles	CA	$71,643 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$12,548 /yr	-	-$140k
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia	MO	$64,990 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$20,268 /yr	-	-$220k
University of Florida Gainesville	FL	$57,318 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$6,541 /yr	-	-$232k
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder	CO	$55,964 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$25,346 /yr	-	-$310k
The University of Texas at Austin Austin	TX	$47,260 Nat: $90,908 2yr Post-Grad	$19,857 /yr	-	-$364k

Analysis Notes:

Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.

Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.