Political Science and Government at Ball State University

Ball State's political science program starts graduates around $40,000—beating both the national and Indiana state medians by roughly $4,000-5,000. Within Indiana, this places the program squarely in the middle tier, earning more than larger programs like Indiana State but falling short of elite options like Notre Dame or DePauw. However, there's a puzzling trend here: earnings actually slip slightly by year four rather than growing, which is unusual for any degree program.

The debt picture looks reasonable at $25,410, translating to a manageable 0.64 ratio to first-year earnings. That's lower than both state and national debt medians, meaning Ball State graduates enter the workforce with less financial burden than most of their political science peers. For a mid-tier public university with a 72% acceptance rate, this combination of above-average starting pay and below-average debt is solid.

The major caveat: these numbers come from a small sample of fewer than 30 graduates, so year-to-year volatility could be skewing the picture. Still, if your child is considering political science at an Indiana public institution and isn't headed to Purdue or IU, Ball State delivers better initial outcomes than you'd find at most alternatives—just don't expect significant salary growth in those crucial first years after graduation.