Political Science and Government at Texas Tech University

Texas Tech's political science program starts graduates at just $35,000—landing them squarely in the middle of the national pack—but what happens next tells a more interesting story. Within four years, earnings jump 53% to nearly $54,000, one of the stronger growth trajectories you'll see in this field. Among Texas political science programs, this ranks in the 60th percentile, meaningfully ahead of the state median and closer to the performance of more selective schools like UT Austin ($43,281) than its own first-year numbers would suggest.

The debt picture is reasonable at $23,375, requiring about eight months of first-year earnings to cover—manageable for a liberal arts degree. That said, the initial earnings gap is real: graduates start roughly $20,000 below Rice or SMU grads. But unlike some programs where that gap persists indefinitely, Texas Tech students appear to be catching up over time, suggesting they're finding solid career footing after the first year or two.

This program works best for families who understand political science as a long-term investment rather than a quick payoff. If your child needs strong earnings immediately after graduation to service debt or support themselves, that first year will be tight. But if they can weather the initial period—perhaps with family support or modest living expenses in lower-cost Lubbock—the trajectory looks solid for a humanities degree.