ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

4 Colleges in Virginia
91 Master's Degrees
$66,617 Avg Early-Career Salary
a master's degree in political science & government is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #71 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 4 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. Combined, these schools handed out 91 master's degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-sciences//political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json", major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 45.10), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Political Science" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Political Science" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 0 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No ESYOH offers, checking direct offers

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

Best Political Science & Government Master's Degree Schools in Virginia Your choice of political science & government for getting your master's degree school matters. 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

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master'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 master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for political science & government students working on their master'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 Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-sciences//political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json", major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 45.10), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Political Science" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Political Science" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 0 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No ESYOH offers, checking direct offers

ADBLOCK #171

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in Virginia

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in political science & government.

Top Virginia Schools for a Master's in Political Science

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
10 Annual Graduates

Virginia Tech is a good choice for students interested in a master's degree in political science & government. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Virginia Tech

2
10 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a master's degree in political science & government. GMU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.More information about a master’s in political science & government from George Mason University

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in political science & government. JMU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.

Those political science & government students who get their master's degree from James Madison University make $2,124 more than the average political science student.

More information about a master’s in political science & government from James Madison University

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
33 Annual Graduates

Liberty University is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in political science & government. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in political science & government from Liberty University

DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-sciences//political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json", major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-sciences/political-science-and-government"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 45.10), keeping min_relevance at 0.5
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.5, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No relevant offers, showing generic ESYOH widget

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 208 81
Georgia 190 37
North Carolina 178 46
Tennessee 166 11
Alabama 151 1
Kentucky 147 9
Louisiana 147 15
South Carolina 146 10
Mississippi 145 12
Arkansas 121 8
West Virginia 112 42
ADBLOCK #172

View All Rankings >

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 91
ADBLOCK #173

Related Major Annual Graduates
International Relations & National Security 240
Economics 96
Urban Studies 37
Geography & Cartography 30
Sociology 28
Anthropology 21
General Social Sciences 1

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options