How much do Political Science and Government master's degree graduates from James Madison University earn?

The reported median is $86,137 four years after completion.

How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

Federal debt is not reported for this cohort.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 9% above the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Political Science and Government master's degree at James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA · Public

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are close to similar programs.

$7,287 above the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff: $160,685 / year
Modeled 10-year payoff: Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data: College-wide context only

OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

Not availableEarnings growth, year 1 → 5$68,741 → Not available

Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

Not availableWorking in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

Not availableYear-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median

Not availableBorrowers representedCohort behind the debt median

Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential

Not availableRecent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential

NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

30Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

Not reportedFederal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

Not reportedFederal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

Preliminary federal earnings benchmark$63,816Informational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$86,137$22,321 above the preliminary benchmark

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

GRADUATE-DEGREE BASELINE

$86,137 vs. $63,293

$22,844 above the national bachelor’s median in the same field.

Comparison basis568 bachelor’s program records

This is a cross-cohort benchmark, not the salary increase caused by earning this graduate credential. Your current earnings remain the correct baseline for personal ROI.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$23,322

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWINGNot available

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$86,137

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENTNot available

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$23,322Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$31,735Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE71.5%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE79.7%Institution-wide completion rate

WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$68,741Year 1

$86,137Year 4

Not availableYear 5

CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

Repayment pressure is not available

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$7,178

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$86,137 vs. $78,850

$7,287 above the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median

WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.

Managers, All Other$166,230 median wageVA estimate · 21,560 jobs · 11-9199$138,670–$195,190 middle 50% of VA wages+4.9% projected U.S. growth · 100,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreePolitical Scientists$142,080 median wageU.S. estimate · 5,540 jobs · 19-3094-2.0% projected U.S. growth · 400 openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreePolitical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$101,430 median wageVA estimate · 830 jobs · 25-1065$76,320–$135,130 middle 50% of VA wages+2.5% projected U.S. growth · 1,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,170 median wageVA estimate · 31,100 jobs · 25-2031$60,250–$83,820 middle 50% of VA wages-0.2% projected U.S. growth · 63,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeSocial Science Research Assistants$53,260 median wageVA estimate · 700 jobs · 19-4061$45,880–$66,430 middle 50% of VA wages+5.0% projected U.S. growth · 4,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeEconomists$137,590 median wageVA estimate · 950 jobs · 19-3011$93,920–$179,730 middle 50% of VA wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 1,100 openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreeEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary$128,790 median wageVA estimate · 460 jobs · 25-1063$83,740–$174,530 middle 50% of VA wages+2.4% projected U.S. growth · 1,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degree

CENSUS EMPLOYMENT DESTINATIONS

Where graduates work five years later

The leading industries employing graduates in this college, broad field and credential group.

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

about 40.5%

Other Services (except Public Administration)

about 12.7%

Health Care and Social Assistance

about 8.9%

Educational Services

about 8.9%

Retail Trade

about 8.9%

Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University

$3,399 lower annual net price

Earnings: $70,319
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $19,923

View outcomes →

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University

$32,244 higher earnings · $4,513 lower annual net price

Earnings: $118,381
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $18,809

View outcomes →

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida

$557 higher earnings · $16,781 lower annual net price

Earnings: $86,694
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $6,541

View outcomes →

Washington, DC

George Washington University

$20,537 higher earnings

Earnings: $106,674
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $36,586

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

Not reported observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

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