Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In Massachusetts, the top-earning political science-related role is Political Scientists at a median $133,930 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Political Science Schools to Amherst
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer political science programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
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.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$77,644
Avg net price
$23,367/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,631
Avg net price
$22,383/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 166
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,938
Avg net price
$24,034/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts political science page.
Political Science Wages Near Amherst
Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Political Scientists |
$133,930 |
MA statewide |
$133,663 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary |
$104,970 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$104,760 |
| Management Analysts |
$103,610 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$103,403 |
| Public Relations Specialists |
$72,610 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$72,465 |
| Survey Researchers |
$74,890 |
MA statewide |
$74,741 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants |
$64,050 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$63,922 |
| Compliance Officers |
$77,550 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$77,395 |
| Social and Community Service Managers |
$81,650 |
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA |
$81,487 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Amherst at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
100.2 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Amherst-Area Cities With Political Science Programs
- Northampton, MA – 9.0 mi away (28,483 pop)
- Holyoke, MA – 12.5 mi away (40,280 pop)
- Chicopee, MA – 13.4 mi away (55,991 pop)
- Springfield, MA – 17.3 mi away (625,300 pop)
- Westfield, MA – 20.2 mi away (41,552 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited political science schools are near Amherst, MA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs near Amherst. The closest is Amherst College in Amherst, MA (0.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mount Holyoke College (8.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying political science roles near Amherst?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying political science-related roles near Amherst are: Political Scientists ($133,930), Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($104,970), Management Analysts ($103,610). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?
Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local political science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Political Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Amherst
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:
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- Behavioral Health Science programs in Amherst, MA
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- Organizational Leadership programs in Amherst, MA
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- Nonprofit Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Operations Management programs in Amherst, MA
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- Retail Management programs in Amherst, MA
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- Statistics programs in Amherst, MA
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- Corrections programs in Amherst, MA
- Crime Analysis programs in Amherst, MA
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- Criminology programs in Amherst, MA
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- Emergency Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Fire Science programs in Amherst, MA
- Forensic Science programs in Amherst, MA
- Legal Services programs in Amherst, MA
- Legal Studies programs in Amherst, MA
- Paralegal programs in Amherst, MA
- Security Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Cloud Computing programs in Amherst, MA
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- Human Services programs in Amherst, MA
- MBA programs in Amherst, MA
- Criminal Justice programs in Amherst, MA
- Nursing programs in Amherst, MA
- Business Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Computer Science programs in Amherst, MA
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- Education programs in Amherst, MA
- Engineering programs in Amherst, MA
- Technology programs in Amherst, MA
- Liberal Arts programs in Amherst, MA
- Healthcare programs in Amherst, MA
- Cybersecurity programs in Amherst, MA
- Accounting programs in Amherst, MA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Social Work programs in Amherst, MA
- Counseling programs in Amherst, MA
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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