A bachelor’s in political science is almost always a BA, and the title is stable across schools even when the content is not. Two programs can both award a BA in Political Science while differing enormously in one respect that matters for employment: whether the major requires a real research-methods sequence. That is the first thing to check, ahead of course titles, faculty bios, and marketing copy.
This page explains the degree structure you will encounter, what each subfield actually covers, why the methods requirement carries so much weight, and how to compare programs honestly.
Quick answers
Can I get a bachelor’s degree in political science online?
Yes. Political science is one of the more widely offered online majors, partly because it needs no laboratory or studio. In IPEDS 2024, 1,040 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in political science and government, and 873 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
Is it a BA or a BS?
Usually a BA. A minority of schools offer a BS, generally with more required statistics and sometimes a second quantitative course. If analytic work is the goal, the BS variant or a BA with a strong methods requirement is the better choice. The letters matter less than the required course list.
How is political science different from public policy?
Political science asks why political outcomes happen. Public policy asks what a government should do about a specific problem and whether an intervention worked. Political science is the broader analytic degree; public policy is more applied and usually more quantitative at the graduate level.
How many credits is a bachelor’s degree?
Approximately 120 semester hours, typically four years full-time. The political science core is usually 36 to 45 of those hours, concentrated after the introductory surveys and the methods requirement.
Do I need this major for law school?
No. Law schools admit from every major and do not require political science. It is a common pre-law choice because the reading, writing, and argument load resembles legal study, but the admission decision runs on grades, the entrance exam, and the personal statement. If law is the target, see legal studies for the coursework-focused alternative.
Will a bachelor’s alone make me a political scientist?
Almost never, in the occupational sense. The BLS occupation “political scientist” employed 6,500 people in 2024 with about 500 openings a year, and those roles generally require a master’s or a doctorate (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The bachelor’s is a general analytic credential that opens analyst, coordinator, communications, and compliance roles under other titles.
At a Glance
- Common degree titles: BA in Political Science, BA in Political Science and Government, BS in Political Science
- Typical duration: 4 years full-time
- Credits: Approximately 120 semester hours
- Core skills: Research design, quantitative analysis, close reading of law and legislative text, argument construction
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for political science; verify institutional accreditation
For a full map of this program area, start here: Political Science Program Guide
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 172
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$143,372
Avg net price
$20,111/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
The five subfields, and what each one really is
American politics. Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, courts, elections, parties, interest groups, federalism, and public opinion. This is the largest subfield at most schools and the one closest to campaign, legislative, and government-affairs work.
Comparative politics. The study of political systems across countries: democratization, authoritarian durability, electoral systems, party systems, ethnic conflict, and state capacity. It is comparative in method, not only in subject matter, which means it leans on case selection and cross-national data.
International relations. War, alliances, trade, international law, and institutions such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. If this is the center of your interest rather than one course, compare the dedicated international relations degree, which goes deeper on security, diplomacy, and regional expertise.
Political theory. Normative and historical study of concepts: justice, legitimacy, authority, rights, liberty, and the texts that argue about them. It is philosophy applied to political life, and it is the subfield that most improves your writing.
Public law. Constitutional law, judicial behavior, administrative law, and civil liberties. Courses here read actual opinions rather than summaries of them, which is the closest undergraduate approximation of legal study.
Running underneath all five is political methodology: research design, measurement, and statistics. Departments differ sharply in how seriously they require it.
Typical coursework in a bachelor’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| American Government |
Constitutional structure, federalism, separation of powers, and how a bill actually moves |
| Comparative Politics |
Regime types, electoral and party systems, and cross-national comparison as a method |
| International Relations |
Security, trade, international law, and the institutions that mediate state conflict |
| Political Theory |
Justice, legitimacy, and authority through primary texts rather than summaries |
| Constitutional Law |
Reading judicial opinions, doctrinal development, and rights adjudication |
| Research Methods |
Hypothesis formation, measurement, sampling, and research design |
| Quantitative Analysis |
Descriptive statistics, regression, and working with political data in software |
| Capstone or Senior Thesis |
A substantial original research paper defended against faculty questions |
Skills you may build
- Designing a research question that can actually be answered with available evidence
- Reading statutes, opinions, and legislative history closely enough to see what they do not say
- Evaluating polling and survey claims, including sampling error and question wording
- Running and interpreting basic regression rather than only reading about it
- Writing an argument that survives an informed reader who disagrees with you
- Briefing a complex issue accurately in two pages for someone who has ten minutes
Prerequisites and course sequencing
The political science core typically sits behind two or three introductory surveys, and the methods sequence usually has a mathematics or statistics prerequisite. Before you enroll, confirm:
- Whether the methods requirement is one course or a two-course sequence, and whether it uses statistical software
- Which subfield electives are offered online, and in which terms
- Whether the capstone requires a prior research course you can finish on your timeline
- Whether upper-division seminars run every year or on a two-year rotation
- Whether any internship, practicum, or in-person residency is required
If you are moving faster than a standard four-year plan, compare accelerated political science programs. Compression is harder on the methods sequence and the capstone than on survey courses, because both depend on iteration.
Transfer credits and degree planning
Transfer credit can shorten a bachelor’s substantially, particularly for general education and the introductory surveys. Rules vary by institution, so confirm:
- The maximum number of transfer credits accepted
- The minimum grade required for a course to transfer
- Whether credits apply to the major core or only to general electives – introductory American government usually transfers, upper-division seminars and methods often do not
- Whether a statistics course taken in another department satisfies the methods requirement
- Residency requirements, meaning a minimum number of credits completed at the institution
See Affordable Online Political Science Degrees for more on managing total program cost.
Accreditation and program quality checks
There is no programmatic accreditor for political science degrees. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database.
Professional associations in the discipline are valuable for conferences, journals, and job listings, but they do not accredit degree programs. The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration accredits MPA and MPP degrees; that accreditation does not apply to a political science BA. Institutional accreditation is the check that matters.
Building an employable record while you study
Because the major is analytic rather than vocational, the transcript alone rarely closes a hiring decision. What tends to work:
- Take the methods sequence seriously and keep the code and output from your projects
- Choose a capstone topic close to the sector you want to work in, and write it as a briefing an employer could read
- Pursue legislative, agency, campaign, or nonprofit internships, including remote ones, and ask the school’s career office which employers hire its online students
- Add a quantitative or regional-language thread if you want federal analytic work
- If the goal is running programs rather than studying them, add public administration coursework
Bachelor’s vs a master’s in political science
A bachelor’s is a broad analytic credential and, for most graduates, the terminal degree in the field. It is enough for analyst, coordinator, communications, compliance, and government administration roles, and it is a standard route into law school. An online master’s in political science adds advanced methods and subfield depth, and it is the practical minimum for research roles that carry the political scientist title. Political scientists earned a median annual wage of $142,080 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), but the occupation is small and projected to decline 3.1 percent from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Do not enroll in a graduate program on the strength of that median alone.
Compare degree options:
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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