Political Science and Government at Portland State University

Portland, OR · Bachelor's Degree · about 76 graduates a year

$35,173
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$59,185
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$63,293
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#336 of 565
Rank by pay
#316 of 565
Rank, wage-adjusted
$19,083
Median federal debt

Portland State University graduates in political science and government earn 6% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 32% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Portland State University Compares for Political Science and Government

All 565 colleges reporting political science and government earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD$121,729$106,831#2—
2Dartmouth College Hanover, NH$106,153$97,778#5$72,618
3Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN$102,789$112,286#1$46,843
4Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$100,245$95,412#11$61,077
5Colby College Waterville, ME$96,621$102,683#3$54,353
6Harvard University Cambridge, MA$95,838$84,395#27$61,543
7Cornell University Ithaca, NY$95,391$90,792#17$60,292
8Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA$95,190$86,679#20—
9University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN$94,297$101,163#4$55,316
10Trinity College Hartford, CT$94,097$84,717#25$42,979
…
333CUNY City College New York, NY$59,540$56,670#395$29,823
334Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX$59,466$60,459#292$35,114
335University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX$59,261$60,251#295$38,095
336Portland State University Portland, OR$59,185$59,534#316$35,173
337Iona University New Rochelle, NY$59,151$56,299#401$18,148
338St. John's University-New York Queens, NY$59,122$56,272#403—
339Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN$59,060$63,360#222$33,352

Other Majors at Portland State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$113,889$78,669#99 of 349
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$101,905$82,853#86 of 258
Mechanical Engineering$94,223$73,079#102 of 318
Physics$87,488$62,749#30 of 107
Computer Engineering—$87,259—
Civil Engineering$86,084$67,509#105 of 233
Finance and Financial Management Services$79,727$52,859#202 of 452
Accounting and Related Services$77,226$58,069#310 of 796
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$75,765$40,230#23 of 110
Economics$75,482$47,865#220 of 368
Business Administration, Management and Operations$71,621$51,358#325 of 1176
Chemistry$70,948$35,395#71 of 209
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services$70,765$37,585#19 of 37
Mathematics$68,280$37,427#178 of 309
Human Resources Management and Services$68,274$49,696#87 of 187
Social Work$63,456$41,594#18 of 420
Architecture$62,349$32,678#66 of 78
Marketing$61,499$41,395#370 of 516
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences$59,961$37,709#76 of 156
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$59,563$35,615#102 of 215
Communication and Media Studies$59,232$35,143#192 of 660
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$58,961$31,512#79 of 265
Public Health$58,860$36,762#97 of 215
Criminal Justice and Corrections$58,109$45,401#208 of 660
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$57,932$37,831#89 of 138
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies$57,438$31,571#75 of 207
Biological and Physical Sciences$57,303$37,419#24 of 33
International Relations and National Security Studies$56,436$30,253#93 of 118
Design and Applied Arts$56,158$35,304#114 of 299
Biology$54,934$29,468#533 of 841

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Portland State University political science and government graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $35,173 one year after graduating and $59,185 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Portland State University rank for political science and government?

Among 565 colleges reporting earnings for political science and government graduates, Portland State University ranks #336 by median pay four years after graduation, and #316 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is political science and government at Portland State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 6% less than the national median for political science and government ($63,293), and the median federal debt at graduation is $19,083.

← All data for Portland State University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.