Political Science and Government at Gordon College

Gordon College's political science program posts numbers that look reasonable at first glance—$37,684 in first-year earnings with $26,500 in debt—but the Massachusetts context reveals a significant gap. While this beats the national median by about $2,000, it falls roughly $5,300 short of the typical Massachusetts political science graduate's earnings. In a state where the median for this program is $43,010, landing at the 40th percentile suggests students might do better elsewhere in-state, especially considering similar debt levels.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 is manageable, and Gordon does excel at keeping borrowing lower than most programs nationally (15th percentile for debt). That's genuinely helpful for graduates entering fields like nonprofits, government, or grad school prep—typical paths for political science majors—where early salaries stay modest. The program performs decently against the national field overall, reaching the 61st percentile.

However, the small sample size here matters. With fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a handful of career outcomes could swing these numbers significantly. For Massachusetts families, the question becomes whether Gordon's distinctive Christian liberal arts environment justifies paying similar costs for below-median state earnings. If your child is drawn to Gordon specifically for fit reasons, the debt load won't be crushing. But purely as an in-state investment for a political science degree, stronger options exist across Massachusetts.