DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a doctoral degree in Political Science and Government worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 2 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$105,203 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$105,203Median year-4 earnings
$14,074Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$105,203Typical earnings four years after completion
Not availableAverage earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
54thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
22Degrees awarded in 2024–25
2College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 2 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Political Science and Government
How much do Political Science and Government doctoral degree graduates earn?
The national median is $105,203 four years after completion across reportable doctoral degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Political Science and Government?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $104,566 to $104,566 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Political Science and Government?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $81,004
- Federal debt
- $21,375
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $43,165
- Federal debt
- $8,333
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $61,929
- Federal debt
- $23,708
- Programs in the comparison
- 609
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $75,523
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 16
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $105,203
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $114,020
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$104,566National median$105,20375th percentile$104,566
2 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
2 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 2 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Maryland-College Park$105,8402University of California, San Diego$104,566Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Political Scientists$142,080 median wage5,540 jobs nationwide-2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$83,350–$195,190 typical wage rangeManagers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangePolitical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$98,070 median wage16,970 jobs nationwide+2.5% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$56,450–$174,660 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeEconomists$124,720 median wage17,790 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$67,360–$238,060 typical wage rangeEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary$123,920 median wage11,560 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,060–$224,200 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.