Political Science and Government at Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
73
Optimistic
67
Base Case
59
Pessimistic
Earnings
$39,708/yr (8% vs median)
AI Risk
Very High (50% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (182,300 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Political Science and Government graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $861K | $479K | $287K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 21.6x | 12.0x | 7.2x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 7.5x | 4.2x | 2.5x |
| Viable Career Paths | 7 of 7 | 7 of 7 | 7 of 7 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 73 | 67 | 59 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$39,968
Out-of-state: $115,176
Median Debt at Graduation
$19,500
5.9 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$72,774
83% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Political Science and Government graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 182,300 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political scientists | $139,380 | 500 | -3.1% | 48% |
| Managers, all other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | 47% |
| Economics teachers, postsecondary | $119,980 | 1,200 | +2.1% | 48% |
| Economists | $115,440 | 900 | +1.2% | 61% |
| Political science teachers, postsecondary | $94,680 | 1,600 | +2.0% | 48% |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $64,580 | 66,200 | -1.6% | 33% |
| Social science research assistants | $58,040 | 5,200 | +4.4% | 67% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Political Science and Government at Purdue University-Main Campus?
This program scores 67/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 73 (optimistic) to 59 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Political Science and Government career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Political Science and Government graduates retain 7 of 7 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $287,005 (pessimistic) to $861,369 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Political Science and Government graduates?
The career paths mapped to Political Science and Government have roughly 182,300 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Political Science and Government at Purdue University-Main Campus worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 12.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.2x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.