Political Science and Government at Duke University

Duke's political science program commands double what graduates from the typical North Carolina program earn—$55,000 versus the state median of $33,000. It outperforms even Wake Forest and UNC-Chapel Hill, the next strongest programs in the state, by considerable margins. Nationally, this ranks in the 95th percentile, meaning it beats nearly every political science program in the country. The 55% earnings jump to $85,000 by year four suggests graduates are landing competitive positions that offer real advancement, not the career stagnation that plagues many liberal arts majors.

The debt picture makes this especially compelling: $14,000 is barely half the national average for political science graduates and well below what students at other North Carolina schools typically borrow. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.25, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their entire debt load in three months of work. This combination—elite earnings with modest debt—explains why this program ranks in the 95th percentile on both metrics.

For families who can secure admission (Duke's 7% acceptance rate is the real barrier), this represents one of the strongest returns available in political science. You're paying for the Duke network and credential, and unlike many liberal arts programs where prestige doesn't translate to paychecks, here it demonstrably does.