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Best Political Science & Government Schools in California

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2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in California

19 Colleges
$33,769 Avg Salary
$19,462 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

In 2020-2021, 243 degrees and certificates were awarded to political science and government students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #80 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Political Science & Government Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in California

Check out the political science programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Political Science & Government Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for political science and government students who want to pursue a degree in California. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Stanford University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

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

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Claremont Graduate University is a great place for political science and government students. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

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Out of the 19 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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University of California - San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in California ranking. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - San Diego

University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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California State University - Chico landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Chico

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #10 on the list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at San Francisco State University

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 27
Oregon 14
Nevada 13
Hawaii 9

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 19 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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