Political Science and Government at Simmons University

Simmons' political science program lands in an awkward middle ground for Massachusetts: while it outperforms the national median by about $4,000 in first-year earnings, it falls notably short of the state's $43,010 median. This 40th percentile ranking matters because Boston's competitive job market means graduates will be competing against alumni from significantly higher-earning programs—the gap between Simmons and the state median widens to over $7,000 by year four, even as individual earnings grow 18%.

The debt load of $25,330 is slightly above both national and state benchmarks, resulting in a manageable but not impressive debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. Graduates earn enough to handle their loans, but they're not building wealth quickly in those early career years. The limited sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty—a few career paths can swing these numbers considerably at small scale.

For families paying private school tuition, this is worth a hard conversation about career goals. If your child is set on political science and committed to Simmons for other reasons, the outcomes are workable. But if you're primarily focused on return on investment, the state's public universities or reach schools with stronger political networks offer clearer paths to better-paying opportunities in Massachusetts' government and nonprofit sectors.