12 Best Online Bachelor’s in Political Science Programs

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty in St. Louis and The Uni­ver­si­ty of Iowa offer top online bach­e­lor’s in polit­i­cal sci­ence degree pro­grams.
• A polit­i­cal sci­ence degree opens up diverse career paths in gov­ern­ment, non-prof­its, inter­na­tion­al orga­ni­za­tions, and more.
• Beyond pub­lic ser­vice, you can use a polit­i­cal sci­ence degree for careers in Human Resources, Pub­lic Rela­tions or Infor­ma­tion Analy­sis.

Indi­vid­u­als who are inter­est­ed in earn­ing an online Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence degree can do so using a dis­tance learn­ing plat­form. Study­ing online pro­vides many ben­e­fits that a tra­di­tion­al class­room does not. Unlike a tra­di­tion­al class­room, online cours­es are extreme­ly flex­i­ble when it comes to scheduling.

Stu­dents can study when it best fits into their dai­ly rou­tine. As long as their assign­ments are turned in on time, they can study when­ev­er they can fit it into their sched­ules. For indi­vid­u­als who are rais­ing a fam­i­ly and work­ing a full-time job, study­ing after every­one else has gone to bed may be the most beneficial.

Anoth­er ben­e­fit of enrolling in an online Polit­i­cal Sci­ence degree pro­gram is that the stu­dent can con­tin­ue work­ing at their cur­rent job. Whether they are already work­ing in a field that uses polit­i­cal sci­ences or are ready to change careers, learn­ing in an online for­mat gives them the option to con­tin­ue work­ing while they attend school. For many stu­dents, the only way to return to school is to do so in a way that allows them to keep work­ing and sup­port­ing their families.

Methodology: How We Ranked the Best Online Political Science Degrees

To rank the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence bachelor’s pro­grams, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter edi­tors researched online pro­grams from accred­it­ed, trust­wor­thy insti­tu­tions. For the rank­ing, edi­tors used data from IPEDS and Niche, includ­ing tuition rate, stu­dent sat­is­fac­tion, and grad­u­ate salary.

1. Washington University in St. Louis

Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty in St. Louis offers a polit­i­cal sci­ence BS that is one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees avail­able. This pro­gram allows stu­dents to gain knowl­edge regard­ing polit­i­cal life as part of their wider education. 

It’s great prepa­ra­tion for those who wish to attend busi­ness or law school. Some polit­i­cal sci­ence majors fur­ther their edu­ca­tion by get­ting mas­ter’s degrees in urban plan­ning, jour­nal­ism, and social work. Many grad­u­ates go to work at local, state, or fed­er­al gov­ern­ment agencies.

With an over­all Niche grade of A+, Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty ranks high­ly in cat­e­gories such as diver­si­ty, aca­d­e­mics, ath­let­ics, val­ue, and cam­pus life. The uni­ver­si­ty cul­ti­vates a com­mu­ni­ty of achiev­ers who encour­age one anoth­er to remain tena­cious and express their creativity. 

Stu­dents acquire con­fi­dence and the knowl­edge need­ed to suc­ceed in their cho­sen field. Fac­ul­ty mem­bers are lead­ing mem­bers of their var­i­ous fields and work side by side with stu­dents on projects.

What We Like: Only 13% of stu­dents are accept­ed into the uni­ver­si­ty. If you are one of the lucky fresh­men or trans­fers, you become part of an elite club of aca­d­e­m­ic excellence.

ATTENTION: Accord­ing to their web­site, “This pro­gram will offi­cial­ly come to a close by spring of 2026.”

Ini­ti­ate the process by vis­it­ing this fan­tas­tic col­lege’s online polit­i­cal sci­ence degree pro­gram!

2. The University of Iowa

Stu­dents who attend The Uni­ver­si­ty of Iowa’s Polit­i­cal Sci­ence BA pro­gram enjoy one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees avail­able in the state. This major pre­pares stu­dents for work in the pub­lic and pri­vate sec­tors. Some grad­u­ates go on to work in non­prof­it organizations. 

Domes­tic and inter­na­tion­al jobs held by recent grad­u­ates include the Peace Corps, gov­ern­ment admin­is­tra­tion, pub­lic pol­i­cy, and bank­ing. Oth­er grad­u­ates pre­fer to con­tin­ue their edu­ca­tion by get­ting high­er degrees in pub­lic pol­i­cy, pub­lic admin­is­tra­tion, inter­na­tion­al rela­tion­ships, and law.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Iowa has near­ly 33,000 stu­dents who come from all 50 states and over 100 coun­tries. Edu­cat­ing stu­dents since 1847, the uni­ver­si­ty is the old­est col­lege in the state and is locat­ed in a pic­turesque col­lege town.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Iowa is the num­ber one high­er edu­ca­tion insti­tute in the state. This allows stu­dents to receive the best pos­si­ble education.

Take the ini­tial step! The Uni­ver­si­ty of Iowa is wait­ing for you to join their online Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence!

3. Penn State World Campus

One of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees includes Penn State World Cam­pus’ polit­i­cal sci­ence BA. Upper-lev­el cours­es in this pro­gram focus on research and writ­ing projects so that stu­dents can hone their skills and pre­pare for careers in jour­nal­ism, busi­ness, law, gov­ern­ment, and the pri­vate sector. 

With this degree, grad­u­ates emerge pre­pared for grad­u­ate school in fields such as pub­lic admin­is­tra­tion and polit­i­cal sci­ence. For mil­i­tary stu­dents, this degree refines the skills need­ed to advance with­in civil­ian or gov­ern­ment jobs.

Penn State Online has just 2,500 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. this pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty accepts just over half of the stu­dents who apply. Oth­er pop­u­lar majors include nurs­ing, infor­ma­tion sci­ence, and business.

What We Like: 88% of stu­dents sur­veyed were con­fi­dent that they would find a job upon com­ple­tion of their program.

Learn more about Penn State World Cam­pus’ online Bach­e­lor of Arts in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence.

4. Sam Houston State University

One of Texas’ best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees, the BA/BS in polit­i­cal sci­ence at Sam Hous­ton State Uni­ver­si­ty lets stu­dents choose from dif­fer­ent cur­ricu­lum con­cen­tra­tions such as Inter­na­tion­al Rela­tions and For­eign Pol­i­cy, Com­par­a­tive Gov­ern­ment, and Pub­lic Admin­is­tra­tion. The pro­gram offers intern­ships with local coun­ty and city gov­ern­ments, the U.S. Con­gress, and the Texas Leg­is­la­ture, just to name a few.

Sam Hous­ton is locat­ed in Huntsville and has over 15,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Near­ly four out of five stu­dents who apply are accept­ed by the Uni­ver­si­ty. Oth­er pop­u­lar majors include busi­ness, lib­er­al arts and human­i­ties, and crim­i­nal justice.

What We Like: Among the many fine uni­ver­si­ties in Texas, Sam Hous­ton ranks num­ber 11 in the state’s top pub­lic high­er edu­ca­tion institutions.

It’s time to start! The online BA/BS in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence at Sam Hous­ton State Uni­ver­si­ty is an excel­lent choice!

5. Texas Tech University

Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty has a polit­i­cal sci­ence BA which is anoth­er one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees avail­able in Texas. This pro­gram is designed for stu­dents who need a sol­id foun­da­tion and polit­i­cal sci­ence and offers spe­cial­iza­tions in areas of interest. 

Grad­u­ates obtain excel­lent prepa­ra­tion for law, teach­ing, jour­nal­ism, pol­i­tics, and civ­il ser­vice. Insight into the work­ings of pol­i­tics pays off in careers that lead to pub­lic pol­i­cy and for­eign pol­i­cy lead­er­ship for stu­dents who pur­sue that track. Oth­er grad­u­ates enter busi­ness and oth­er fields.

Texas Tech is a pub­lic research Uni­ver­si­ty. It focus­es on cre­at­ing an inno­v­a­tive and cre­ative envi­ron­ment for teach­ers through schol­ar­ship and research oppor­tu­ni­ties that include stu­dents. The Uni­ver­si­ty works towards stu­dent suc­cess by giv­ing stu­dents the tools they need to become eth­i­cal lead­ers in a diverse and glob­al society.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty ranks #5 among His­pan­ic-serv­ing uni­ver­si­ties, allow­ing His­pan­ic stu­dents to thrive in an envi­ron­ment of like-mind­ed students.

Begin your jour­ney at Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty and enroll in their online Bach­e­lor of Arts in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence.

6. The University of Maine — UMaine Online

The polit­i­cal sci­ence BA at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Maine is one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees in the state. As part of the polit­i­cal sci­ence pro­gram at the uni­ver­si­ty, stu­dents exam­ine pol­i­tics from dif­fer­ent perspectives. 

Stu­dents think crit­i­cal­ly by attend­ing cours­es that go beyond fun­da­men­tal the­o­ries to cov­er the prac­tices, insti­tu­tions, and prin­ci­ples of pol­i­tics in the local and nation­al land­scape. Course­work includes one of four subfields: 

• Inter­na­tion­al Relations 
• Polit­i­cal Theory
• Amer­i­can Politics
• Com­par­a­tive Politics

Stu­dents emerge ready to pur­sue grad­u­ate or law school if they choose to do so. They are also ready for entry-lev­el posi­tions in pub­lic ser­vice and oth­er per­ti­nent fields.

UMaine is a respect­ed pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty. Locat­ed in Orono, Maine, this mid­size insti­tu­tion has over 8,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. The uni­ver­si­ty accepts near­ly all appli­cants, 97%. It grad­u­ates 55% of stu­dents, which is a respectable statistic.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Maine ranks #5 among the best col­leges in Maine.

Take a deep dive into an online BA in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence at UMaine Online.

7. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wis­con­sin at Lacrosse has a polit­i­cal sci­ence BS pro­gram that is one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees avail­able in the state. Stu­dents who choose this degree study the poli­cies, insti­tu­tions, and behav­iors of governments. 

The pro­gram uses a sci­en­tif­ic and human­is­tic approach that includes quan­ti­ta­tive and qual­i­ta­tive method­olo­gies. There are four sub­fields that stu­dents can choose from accord­ing to their interests.

Wis­con­sin-La Crosse is a respect­ed pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty with over 9,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. With a 74% accep­tance rate, the Uni­ver­si­ty also grad­u­ates 73% of stu­dents, which is high in com­par­i­son to its competitors.

What We Like: UWLC is the #2 top pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty in Wisconsin.

Take the first step towards earn­ing your online BS in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence major at Wis­con­sin-La Crosse today!

8. Central Michigan University

Anoth­er one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees in the coun­try is Cen­tral Michi­gan Uni­ver­si­ty’s polit­i­cal sci­ence BS. This pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents for careers rang­ing from edu­ca­tion, jour­nal­ism, law, and inter­na­tion­al business. 

Cours­es include nation­al, local, and inter­na­tion­al pol­i­tics as well as best prac­tices in for­eign and pub­lic pol­i­cy. There’s a strong empha­sis on data analy­sis, leg­is­la­tion, and bud­getary concerns.

As a CMU Chippe­wa, stu­dents join a nation­al­ly ranked insti­tu­tion with stu­dents from all over the US and over 50 coun­tries world­wide. The school pro­motes healthy com­pe­ti­tion in the class­room and among orga­ni­za­tions tied to stu­dent inter­est. CMU has over 200 aca­d­e­m­ic pro­grams that teach stu­dents the skills they need to suc­ceed in their cho­sen field.

What We Like: CMU is the num­ber 8 top pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty in Michigan.

CMU Online offers a Polit­i­cal Sci­ence Major pro­vid­ing con­ve­nience for a stu­dent obtain­ing their master’s!

9. Kennesaw State University

The polit­i­cal sci­ence BS at Kene­saw State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees avail­able. Stu­dents who choose this degree learn about the for­mal insti­tu­tions and behav­ior of peo­ple in pub­lic life. 

This degree con­fers the knowl­edge need­ed for stu­dents who wish to be respon­si­ble cit­i­zens and those who want to take part in the process of gov­ern­ing. This lib­er­al arts major pre­pares stu­dents for jobs in jour­nal­ism, inter­na­tion­al affairs, busi­ness, and teaching.

Ken­ne­saw State is a respect­ed Uni­ver­si­ty in Geor­gia. This pub­lic insti­tu­tion has more than 24,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and admis­sion is very com­pet­i­tive. Ken­ne­saw State accepts 82% of those who apply.

What We Like: Ken­ne­saw State Uni­ver­si­ty is the num­ber 6 top pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty in Georgia.

Learn more about Ken­ne­saw State Uni­ver­si­ty’s online Polit­i­cal Sci­ence Bach­e­lor’s degree program.

10. Arkansas State University

Arkansas State Uni­ver­si­ty has a polit­i­cal sci­ence BA that is one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees in the South. Stu­dents learn from the com­fort of home and gain skills need­ed to pur­sue careers in pol­i­tics, law, or pub­lic ser­vice. 100% of A‑State grad­u­ates obtain law school placement.

This above-aver­age uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed in Jones­boro and has near­ly 7,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Admis­sion is com­pet­i­tive with 63% of those apply­ing receiv­ing an accep­tance let­ter. Oth­er pop­u­lar majors include Lib­er­al Arts and Human­i­ties, Busi­ness, and Nursing.

What We Like: Arkansas State Uni­ver­si­ty is the #2 top uni­ver­si­ty in Arkansas.

Set your future in motion by apply­ing at Arkansas State Uni­ver­si­ty’s online BA in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence today!

11. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

For one of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees in Mass­a­chu­setts, con­sid­er the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mass­a­chu­setts Dartmouth’s polit­i­cal sci­ence BA. UMass Dart­mouth requires 120 cred­its includ­ing polit­i­cal sci­ence course­work as well as elec­tives. The Uni­ver­si­ty has a gen­er­ous trans­fer pol­i­cy. Up to 75 cred­its from oth­er accred­it­ed insti­tu­tions will be count­ed toward graduation.

UMass Dart­mouth is a mid­size school with 6,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Stu­dents choose from majors such as busi­ness, psy­chol­o­gy, and nurs­ing. With an accep­tance rate of 96%, UMass Dart­mouth is high­ly acces­si­ble to those who wish to attend.

What We Like: 93% of stu­dents receive some kind of finan­cial aid, and the polit­i­cal sci­ence pro­gram requires a three-cred­it intern­ship to pre­pare stu­dents for careers in polit­i­cal science.

At UMass Dart­mouth, you’ll join like-mind­ed stu­dents when you enroll in their online Bach­e­lor of Arts in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence.

12. Liberty University

One of the best online polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees, the polit­i­cal sci­ence BS at Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty teach­es stu­dents about one of the most pow­er­ful forces in the world. Pol­i­tics affects every part of the lives of ordi­nary citizens. 

Those who work in gov­ern­ment need lead­er­ship qual­i­ties as well as the wis­dom and virtue to wield the pow­er they hold. This pro­gram equips grad­u­ates with the skills need­ed to serve as Chris­t­ian lead­ers in the pub­lic sec­tor. Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty was found­ed by Dr. Jer­ry Fal­well and fol­lows a Christ-cen­tered cur­ricu­lum in a con­ser­v­a­tive setting.

Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty offers online and res­i­den­tial pro­grams and edu­cates stu­dents to make con­tri­bu­tions in the work­place and com­mu­ni­ty. Chris­t­ian edu­ca­tion is embed­ded in the cur­ricu­lum and fac­ul­ty and staff sup­port stu­dents who wish to fol­low their cho­sen field.

What We Like: Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty ranks num­ber two among the best con­ser­v­a­tive uni­ver­si­ties in the country.

There’s no time like the present! Learn more about Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty’s online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence!

Political Science Degree Related FAQs

How Do I Choose an Online Political Science Degree?

To choose the right online Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence degree pro­gram, you will need to know what your per­son­al career goals are. Once you have estab­lished your career goals, you will be able to choose a pro­gram that offers you the cours­es you will need to suc­ceed in the field of your choice. 

While polit­i­cal sci­ence degrees pri­mar­i­ly focus on pub­lic ser­vice and the sci­ence of how pol­i­tics work, the degree pro­grams asso­ci­at­ed with this field can be effec­tive­ly used in many oth­er areas as well. This includes: 

• Human Resources
• Pub­lic Relations
• Infor­ma­tion Analysis
• many man­age­r­i­al positions

Anoth­er choice you will have to make in terms of an online Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence degree pro­gram is what school you want to attend. Many col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties offer qual­i­ty pro­grams for stu­dents who want to learn online. The key is find­ing one that sup­ports what you are try­ing to achieve. 

Stu­dents often choose their schools based on per­son­al beliefs and pref­er­ences. When you choose a col­lege, it’s a good idea to spend some time research­ing each school so that you have a full under­stand­ing of what to expect once you become a student.

Afford­abil­i­ty is anoth­er con­cern. Stu­dents who have lim­it­ed finan­cial resources may need to apply for grants and schol­ar­ships, as well as gov­ern­ment-sub­si­dized stu­dent loans that they can use to help defray the cost of their edu­ca­tion. If the stu­dent is already employed, they may be able to take advan­tage of an employ­er reim­burse­ment pro­gram in which their employ­er will cov­er the cost of their education. 

In order to par­tic­i­pate in this type of pro­gram, the stu­dent must pay for their class­es, com­plete the course with a pass­ing grade, and then pro­vide their employ­er with a tran­script of their grades.

Online degree pro­grams also offer stu­dents the oppor­tu­ni­ty to attend the school of their choice. For exam­ple, if a stu­dent wants to attend a school on the East Coast but they live in Cal­i­for­nia, their only option is to enroll in the school’s online learn­ing pro­grams. This allows them to grad­u­ate from the school of their choice no mat­ter where they live. Online cours­es also allow stu­dents to trav­el while they are tak­ing their classes.

What Can I Do With a Political Science Degree?

Career options for stu­dents who have grad­u­at­ed with a polit­i­cal sci­ence degree are exten­sive. In addi­tion to careers in pub­lic rela­tions and oth­er polit­i­cal sci­ence fields, stu­dents also have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to look for work in the leg­isla­tive and legal fields. 

Leg­isla­tive assis­tants and researchers work with elect­ed offi­cials and legal pro­fes­sion­als to cre­ate new leg­is­la­tion. Grad­u­ates who have earned a polit­i­cal sci­ence degree can work in both the pub­lic and pri­vate sec­tors bridg­ing the gap between cor­po­ra­tions and lawmakers.

Polit­i­cal ana­lysts can pre­dict trends with­in the field of pol­i­tics that will help state and fed­er­al agen­cies fine-tune vot­ing prac­tices and keep things run­ning smooth­ly in terms of man­ag­ing local gov­ern­ments and municipalities. 

Local lead­ers who have degrees in polit­i­cal sci­ences are bet­ter able to under­stand the intri­cate and com­pli­cat­ed nature of local gov­ern­ments. By being able to iden­ti­fy and ana­lyze spe­cif­ic pat­terns and habits, they can use that infor­ma­tion to find bet­ter ways to han­dle dif­fi­cult situations.

Social media man­agers and mar­ket research ana­lysts work out­side of the polit­i­cal are­na but still can influ­ence the pub­lic at large about polit­i­cal issues. Their abil­i­ty to com­mu­ni­cate effec­tive­ly over social media plat­forms and through the use of mar­ket­ing cam­paigns makes grad­u­ates a valu­able com­mod­i­ty for orga­ni­za­tions and large cor­po­ra­tions that have spe­cif­ic polit­i­cal views. 

Being able to express the views of the peo­ple they work for will make a grad­u­ate with a polit­i­cal sci­ence degree a pop­u­lar addi­tion to the com­pa­ny’s staff.

Relat­ed Rankings: 

• 25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Sci­ence Programs
• 10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Science
• 10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Polit­i­cal Science