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2023 Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools

110 Colleges
$70,516 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree School for You

Political Science & Government is the #75 most popular major in the country with 2,664 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 110 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for political science majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top 15% Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Rice University

Houston, TX

Our 2023 rankings named Rice University the best school in the United States for political science and government students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Political Science & Government at Rice University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Teachers College at Columbia University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

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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 large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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

#4

Yale University

New Haven, CT

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for political science and government students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Yale University

#5

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the United States. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Stanford University

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #6, Harvard 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 Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#7

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke 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 #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Duke University

#8

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins 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 #8 on the list. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Johns Hopkins University

#9

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell 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 #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at Cornell University Report

#10

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown 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 #10 on the list. Brown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Brown University

#11

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#12

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Princeton University

#13

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern 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 #13 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

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#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #14, University of Pennsylvania 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 Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Pennsylvania Report

#15

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Chicago Report

#16

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree political science and government programs. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt University Report

Additional 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

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907
Anthropology 1,446

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.

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