Other degree levels for this field: Bachelor's degrees
This page shows what graduates with a master's degree in Political Science and Government earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 15 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.
In context: across the 61 master's-degree fields with earnings reported by at least 30 schools or school groups, the typical field's median is $74,139; this field's median of $78,850 is 6% above that. The middle half of its graduates differ by $49,411 (25th to 75th percentile), wider than the typical field's $44,659, so where a graduate lands within the field varies a lot. Only 15 reporting units contribute to this field, so treat the figures with extra care. These are group figures, not predictions for any graduate.
Schools reporting earnings for Political Science and Government graduates
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, master's degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (8 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.
| School | State | Median earnings, 4 years after | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Public University System | WV | $74,802 | 30 |
| Florida State University | FL | $76,608 | 33 |
| George Washington University | DC | $106,674 | 167 |
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | $118,381 | 103 |
| Regent University | VA | $70,319 | 42 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID) | NJ | $68,463 | 31 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | NH | $68,469 | 54 |
| St. John's University-New York | NY | $67,228 | 30 |
See every school that awarded master's degrees in Political Science and Government in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).
Occupations O*NET associates with this field
Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to Political Science and Government programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.
| Career | Median pay, 2025 | Projected growth, 2025–2035 | Openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Compliance Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Political Scientists | $142,080 | -2.0% | 400 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $98,070 | +2.5% | 1,500 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $72,040 | -0.2% | 63,500 |
Frequently asked questions
Does a master's degree in Political Science and Government pay off?
Graduates with a master's degree in Political Science and Government earn a median of $78,850 four years after graduating. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.
How much do college graduates earn overall?
See earnings by education level and by state.
Do Political Science and Government graduates work in their field?
The National Survey of College Graduates (2023) asked employed graduates whose highest degree is a master's in political and related sciences how closely their job relates to their degree. About 40% said closely related, 38% somewhat related and 22% not related (roughly 255 thousand graduates). This is a broad group of fields, not only Political Science and Government, and a job outside the field is not a bad outcome by itself.
Source: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2023 (Table 1-3, master's level, all occupations). Survey estimates, rounded by NSF. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; NSF has not approved or endorsed them.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.