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2025 Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools in California

4 Colleges in California
119 Doctor's Degrees
If you plan on getting your doctor's degree in political science & government, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #43 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 4 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 119 doctor's degrees in political science & government during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools in California The political science doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality political science program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for political science & government students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Political Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Political Science & Government Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Political Science & Government in California

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for political science & government students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Political Science

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
19 Annual Graduates

Stanford University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in political science & government. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a doctorate in political science & government from Stanford University

2
19 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in political science & government has to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in political science & government from University of Southern California

3
17 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in political science & government needs to check out University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles

4
10 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in political science & government needs to take a look at University of California - San Diego. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.More information about a doctorate in political science & government from University of California - San Diego

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 122 10
Oregon 107 5
Nevada 84 6
Hawaii 53 4

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Political Science & Government is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 119

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 220
Sociology 94
Anthropology 54
Geography & Cartography 42
Urban Studies 7
International Relations & National Security 6
General Social Sciences 4
Demography & Population Studies 3
Other Social Sciences 3
Archeology 2

Notes and References

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