Political Science and Government at Southeastern Louisiana University

With just under 30 graduates in the data, these numbers could swing dramatically with one outlier, so treat this as a signal rather than certainty. That said, earning roughly $27,000 one year after graduation puts Southeastern Louisiana's political science program below both the national median ($35,627) and Louisiana's state median ($28,518) for this major. Among Louisiana's 17 political science programs, this lands squarely in the middle, though it trails the state's flagships—LSU and Louisiana Tech—by about $3,000-$7,000 in first-year earnings.

The debt load itself isn't alarming at $26,499—actually lower than many programs nationally—but paired with sub-$27,000 earnings, it means graduates are carrying nearly a full year's salary in student loans. That's a tighter financial squeeze than you'd want, especially when graduates from Louisiana Tech or LSU start with better earnings trajectories while taking on similar debt. The small sample size makes it hard to know if this reflects a genuinely weaker outcome or just a quirky cohort year.

If your child is set on political science at a Louisiana public university, compare total costs carefully. Southeastern's tuition may be lower than LSU's, which could offset the earnings gap. But if finances are similar, programs with stronger early earnings give graduates more breathing room to pursue graduate school or public service careers without debt stress.