CAREERS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

What can you do with a Political Science degree?

The best answer to this question, based on the skills our majors develop, and on the careers our graduates have followed, is this: "Just about anything."

As with almost every other liberal arts major, a training in political science is not designed to prepare you for a specific job so much as to give you skills that you can use in almost any job. We focus on encouraging our students to think critically, to be aware of the world around them, and to think about and develop their own views and opinions on political, economic and social issues. This means that there is no one occupation in which most of our graduates can be found, but that they achieve success on a wide variety of fronts.

The following list includes some (not all!) of the careers which our graduates are presently pursuing, along with specific courses or other departmental opportunities that can help you prepare for each of them.

• Legal careers: Y211, Y304-305, Y320, involvement in Phi Alpha Delta
• Federal government and politics: Y103, Y301, Y317-322, Y481 internships
• State or local government and politics: Y306, Y307, Y481 internships
• Private interest groups and associations: Y213, other public policy courses, Y301
• International organizations: Y217, Y219, other advanced courses in international relations or area studies (eg, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, Russia, China)
• Business careers abroad: Y101, Y217, Y219, international Y481 internships
• Personnel management: Game theory and negotiation skills (in many courses)
• Campaign management and political polling: Y205, employment in the Public Opinion Lab
• Journalism: Extensive writing requirements in political science courses
• Secondary education: Combine political science with School of Education certification
• Graduate school: Preparation for taking GRE's and for enrollment in our MA or attendance at another graduate school

If career choice is not an issue for you, there are still plenty of benefits to be had from studying political science. These might include a life-long interest in politics and the ethical issues involved in politics; improved opportunities for volunteering or part-time participation in political causes; community organizing around a long list of issues that are important to educated people; involvement in organizations promoting good government; part-time work with interest groups in many different areas; and running for and serving in public office on a part-time basis. In all these areas, political science graduates can be important forces for good on others who know less about government and politics.

In short, a political science degree can prepare you both for a variety of rewarding careers, and for satisfying participation in the human enterprise that extends well beyond a formal career.