Political Science and Government at Marietta College

A debt load of $26,000 for earnings around $37,000 sounds reasonable on paper—the 0.70 debt-to-earnings ratio falls comfortably within manageable territory. But there's significant uncertainty here. Because Marietta's political science program has too few recent graduates for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes, these figures reflect what similar bachelor's programs across Ohio typically produce. That means parents should understand they're looking at a statistical proxy, not this program's track record.

The estimated earnings align almost perfectly with Ohio's state median for political science degrees, putting graduates in the middle of the pack regionally but slightly above the national median of $35,627. However, the comparison to Ohio's top-performing programs is sobering—Miami University and Ashland graduates earn $9,000-$10,000 more in their first year. For a liberal arts degree where early career earnings often plateau quickly, that gap matters. Political science typically requires graduate school for career advancement, which would add substantially to both debt and time-to-earnings.

The key question is whether Marietta's smaller program offers advantages—closer faculty relationships, better preparation for graduate school, or stronger regional networks—that could compensate for what peer data suggests will be average outcomes. Without actual graduate data, you're betting on institutional quality rather than proven results. If your child is certain about law school or graduate work, the debt load is manageable as a foundation. If they're hoping the bachelor's alone will launch a career, the estimated trajectory suggests modest financial returns.