Political Science and Government at Arizona Christian University

A debt load of roughly $25,000 against first-year earnings around $38,000 might sound manageable at first glance, but there's important context here. Both figures are estimates drawn from peer institutions—earnings from five Arizona political science programs, debt from national averages for similar private schools. What's concerning is that even these estimated earnings sit just above the national median for political science graduates, while the projected debt exceeds it. At a 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio, graduates would face annual loan payments around $2,760 on a standard repayment plan, consuming roughly 7% of their gross income—a workable but not particularly comfortable arrangement for the first years after college.

The bigger question is whether a political science degree justifies this debt burden when the field typically leads to modest starting salaries. Similar programs in Arizona produce earnings ranging from $35,000 to $42,000, with larger state universities at both ends of that spectrum. Political science often serves as a stepping stone to graduate school, law school, or public service careers—paths that either delay earning potential or require additional debt. Without knowing this specific program's graduate school placement or career outcomes, parents should recognize they're making an investment based on comparable programs rather than Arizona Christian's actual track record. If your child plans to stop at a bachelor's degree and enter the workforce directly, that $25,000 debt estimate becomes more of a burden than if it's funding preparation for further education.