# Middle Tennessee State University: Political Science (bachelor's)

Murfreesboro, TN. IPEDS 220978, CIP 45.10. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/middle-tennessee-state-university/majors/political-science

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $31,012
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $50,169 (U.S. median for this major: $61,935 across 561 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $23,250 (U.S. median $23,457)
- Rank in TN: 8 of 12 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the TN median for this major (12 colleges, $53,018): -$2,849
- Versus the U.S. median: -$11,766

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.36 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $50,169 minus $34,518 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TN (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $9,289 | $40,500 | 2.6 years |
| 30-48k | $10,273 | $44,790 | 2.9 years |
| 48-75k | $13,007 | $56,711 | 3.6 years |
| 75-110k | $16,935 | $73,837 | 4.7 years |
| 110k+ | $19,046 | $83,041 | 5.3 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Political Science at TN colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | $102,789 | $12,000 | $15,846 | 94% |
| The University of the South | $72,682 | $24,267 | $27,872 | 80% |
| Rhodes College | $72,062 | $26,500 | $28,585 | 85% |
| The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | $63,654 | $22,150 | $14,265 | 50% |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | $60,073 | $20,500 | $18,976 | 74% |
| Tennessee State University | $54,008 | $27,000 | $15,796 | 34% |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin | $52,029 | not reported | $10,701 | 53% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | $50,169 | $23,250 | $13,359 | 54% |
| University of Memphis | $50,070 | $24,450 | $12,397 | 51% |
| Tennessee Technological University | $49,898 | not reported | $14,246 | 58% |
| Austin Peay State University | $48,840 | $25,500 | $9,735 | 40% |
| East Tennessee State University | $48,452 | $23,000 | $15,983 | 53% |

## Careers
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (SOC 25-2031): median wage $64,710 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, $61,860 TN, $72,040 U.S.; U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035
- Social Science Research Assistants (SOC 19-4061): median wage $46,410 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, $46,410 TN, $61,990 U.S.; U.S. jobs 5% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).