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University Park, PA · Political science & IR

Political science & IR at Penn State

Penn State graduates about 313 political science & international relations majors a year, 3% of its graduating class. That puts it 71st of 687 schools we score for political science & international relations, a standout program at 83 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 134 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 95% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $70,000 four years out, 1.08× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $21 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

83/100Standout#71 of 687 for political science & international relations →
Graduates a year3133% of the class
Courses in the catalog134more than 95% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$70,0001.08× the same major nationally
Research in the field$21Ma year, NSF
Admit rate61%whole school
SAT middle 50%1210–1390whole school

Around Penn State

A view of part of the Penn State University's University Park campus, seen from
Penn State HUB Lawn and Mt Nittany Seen From HUBPhoto: JohnDziak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
University Park, PA, USA
University Park, PA, USA - panoramio (8)Photo: thomasrive · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The Thomas Building at Penn State University Park. It contains classrooms, the s
Thomas Building Penn State University ParkPhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
Hetzel Union Building-Robeson Center at Penn State University
HUB Robeson Center, west side entrancePhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source

Where political science & international relations happens

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 279 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 45 · Athletics 13 · Arts 13 · Dining 8.

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Nearby in the political science & international relations ranking

  1. Amherst College 84
  2. University of California, Davis 83
  3. The Ohio State University 83
  4. Boston University 83
  5. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 83
  6. College of the Holy Cross 83
  7. Loyola Marymount University 83
  8. Villanova University 83

Other strong majors at Penn State

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn State with every school we score in political science & international relations. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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