3 answers
Benjamin
Student
Lenox, Massachusetts
3
Questions
Updated
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What jobs can I get with a political science degree?
I know you can be a lobbyist, but what else?
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3 answers
Michelle M.
Actress
3284
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Benjamin !
In a previous post of yours, you've mentioned that you are interested in becoming a Lawyer. A Bachelors Degree in Political Science is very good to have before Law School. There are other careers that you could consider as well.
Some careers that a political science academic path would prepare you for would be Legislative Assistant, Policy Analyst, or Press Aide in state, local, or federal government. You could also consider market research analysts, public relations specialist, or corporate strategist. You could also consider Journalism being a reporter, editor, or social media manager.
It is very important that you choose the career first and then know what Major to choose based on how well the major would prepare you for a specific job. It's not like you can get a degree in something you like and then have people tell you what career you could have. If you are set on a political science major, I think going to Law School afterward or working in government might be where employers would want people with that degree. Many of the careers I mentioned do have different paths requiring degrees in different subjects like journalism or business. So it's always best to choose the career first and choose the Major at college that will prepare and qualify you for it.
If you become a Political Science Major in college, the academic program will provide you with enough information that will help you know what career paths would be appropriate. Give it some time. Opportunities and experiences happen at college that sometimes inspire students for a chosen career. You have lots of time to figure it out.
Doing some volunteer work or participating in extracurriculars can help you find out what type of work you like. Join the school newspaper or website for web content, join the debate team or run for a class office. Volunteer at a local politician's office in your community. If you explore careers first hand it will help you choose a niche as no one can choose it for you. A list of possible careers doesn't mean much unless you get the feel for the work itself.
You can go to various employment websites and look up jobs that I've mentioned and notice what degrees the employers are asking for. For example, for Journalism, most times the employers want someone with a degree in Journalism. By reading job notices you can get an idea of what employers are looking for and what they are requiring. So a list of possible careers may not be the most helpful way to figure it out. But a Degree in Political Science is best matched for a career as a Lawyer or working in or around politics.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
In a previous post of yours, you've mentioned that you are interested in becoming a Lawyer. A Bachelors Degree in Political Science is very good to have before Law School. There are other careers that you could consider as well.
Some careers that a political science academic path would prepare you for would be Legislative Assistant, Policy Analyst, or Press Aide in state, local, or federal government. You could also consider market research analysts, public relations specialist, or corporate strategist. You could also consider Journalism being a reporter, editor, or social media manager.
It is very important that you choose the career first and then know what Major to choose based on how well the major would prepare you for a specific job. It's not like you can get a degree in something you like and then have people tell you what career you could have. If you are set on a political science major, I think going to Law School afterward or working in government might be where employers would want people with that degree. Many of the careers I mentioned do have different paths requiring degrees in different subjects like journalism or business. So it's always best to choose the career first and choose the Major at college that will prepare and qualify you for it.
If you become a Political Science Major in college, the academic program will provide you with enough information that will help you know what career paths would be appropriate. Give it some time. Opportunities and experiences happen at college that sometimes inspire students for a chosen career. You have lots of time to figure it out.
Doing some volunteer work or participating in extracurriculars can help you find out what type of work you like. Join the school newspaper or website for web content, join the debate team or run for a class office. Volunteer at a local politician's office in your community. If you explore careers first hand it will help you choose a niche as no one can choose it for you. A list of possible careers doesn't mean much unless you get the feel for the work itself.
You can go to various employment websites and look up jobs that I've mentioned and notice what degrees the employers are asking for. For example, for Journalism, most times the employers want someone with a degree in Journalism. By reading job notices you can get an idea of what employers are looking for and what they are requiring. So a list of possible careers may not be the most helpful way to figure it out. But a Degree in Political Science is best matched for a career as a Lawyer or working in or around politics.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Ana Sofia Ruiz Antillón
Inclusion & Sustainability
3
Answers
Mexico City, Mexico
Updated
Ana Sofia’s Answer
Hello Benjamin,
The workforce is really wide depending on your interests because you can have a suitable profile for private, public and social sector. As an internationalist that loved public policy making I worked for a multinational company in the Public Affairs team that gives you the opportunity to understand the importance of research, analysis, and action plan for institutional and strategic relationships. For a company to succeed needs to have well identified stakeholders that can make them grow and have a positive impact. Specifically as I had a major on International Relations I focused my practice on analysing global trends from international organizations that eventually will become local regulations, this helps forecast the upcoming bills in different countries to manage necessary changes before they become an actual regulation. Now I shifted my career into Inclusion & Sustainability where all this trends come to life in actual projects, beneficiaries and positive impacts. I am happy to even work with the social sector in developing initiatives that make this world more just, equitable and closing opportunities gaps. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The workforce is really wide depending on your interests because you can have a suitable profile for private, public and social sector. As an internationalist that loved public policy making I worked for a multinational company in the Public Affairs team that gives you the opportunity to understand the importance of research, analysis, and action plan for institutional and strategic relationships. For a company to succeed needs to have well identified stakeholders that can make them grow and have a positive impact. Specifically as I had a major on International Relations I focused my practice on analysing global trends from international organizations that eventually will become local regulations, this helps forecast the upcoming bills in different countries to manage necessary changes before they become an actual regulation. Now I shifted my career into Inclusion & Sustainability where all this trends come to life in actual projects, beneficiaries and positive impacts. I am happy to even work with the social sector in developing initiatives that make this world more just, equitable and closing opportunities gaps. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Wendy Maxwell
Intelligence Analyst
5
Answers
Silver Spring, Maryland
Updated
Wendy’s Answer
Short answer: You can get just about any job with this degree--it doesn't have to be at all specific to political science, generally.
If you're interested in specific-to-political-science, then you're still looking at quite a long list of options.
Government & Public Service:
- Policy Analyst
- Legislative Assistant
- Congressional Staffer (there are also some great internships that you can do in this field while still doing your degree)
- Program Analyst (federal agencies, state, local government all hire for this, often as GS/GG-13 and above)
- Foreign Service Officer
- Intelligence Analyst
- Diplomat or Political Officer
- City/County Management roles
- Public Affairs Specialist
- Regulatory Analyst
- Federal contractor roles (Booz Allen, Leidos, SAIC, etc.)
Agencies in these fields include: State Dept, Dept of Defense (now known as the Dept of War), FBI, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Justice, Central Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial Agency, CISA, GAO, Congress, and federal think tanks.
Law, Compliance & Governance:
- Lawyer (with law school after your bachelor's program)
- Paralegal or Legal Analyst
- Compliance Analyst
- Ethics Officer
- Regulatory Affairs Specialist
- Risk and Governance Analyst
- Contract Specialist
It should be noted that all federal and state agencies have the above positions, in addition to the private sector.
Policy, Research & Think Tanks:
- Public Policy Analyst
- Research Associate
- Think tank fellow (such as Brookings, RAND, CSIS, Cato, and Urban Institute)
- Monitoring & Evaluation Analyst
- Social Science Researcher
- Program Evaluation Specialist
International Affairs & National Security:
- Foreign Service Officer
- International Program Officer
- Intelligence Analyst (there are a wide variety of Intelligence Analyst topics in all sectors, such as cyber intelligence, leadership analysis (the CIA is well-known for this one), military intelligence (you don't have to be in the military to do military intelligence--they do have civilian employment in this field, which many people don't realize), criminal intelligence, foreign intelligence analysis (such as Russian intelligence analysis or global intelligence), and health intelligence).
- Political Risk Analyst
- Security Studies Analyst
- Democracy & governance specialist
- International development officer
- NGO program manager
- Humanitarian affairs officer
- SCRM Analyst (Supply Chain Risk Management)
- Disaster Preparedness (FEMA)
Politics, Campaigns & Advocacy:
- Campaign Manager
- Policy Advisor
- Political Consultant
- Legislative Director
- Field Organizer
- Lobbyist
- Advocacy Program Manager
- Government Relations Specialist
Corporate, Business & Consulting
- Management Consultant
- Government Affairs Associate
- Public Policy Manager (tech companies, banks, and energy firms)
- Corporate intelligence
- Risk Analyst
- ESG or sustainability analyst
- SCRM Analyst (Supply Chain Risk Management)
- Human capital or operations roles
- Public sector consultant
- Global Security Operations Center Operator
- Intake Operator
- Security Monitoring
- Emergency Response Analyst
Media, Communications & Writing:
- Political Correspondent
- Policy Journalist
- Communications Director
- Public Affairs Officer
- Strategic Communications Specialist
- Speechwriter
- Corporate or nonprofit communications
Education, Research & Grad School Pipelines:
- Professor (with PhD)
- Lecturer
- Academic researcher
- Institutional research analyst
- Curriculum or civic education roles
- Grade School Teacher
- Career Coach
- Education Coach
Something worth noting: A political science degree alone rarely equals a job title. It's usually paired with internships, research experience, writing samples, data and tech skills, a security clearance, the pathways program (federal, see USAJobs.gov for more info), or grad school (optional). It is also highly recommended that you become proficient in at least one additional language, even if you plan on staying domestic (ie, national policy and affairs, vs foreign policy or international affairs), as this will also help give you a competitive edge.
Talk to a career counselor or education counselor about other degree programs (such as National Security and Intelligence) that you can take at the same time as the political science degree that could help you get into the field you're interested in. Political science degrees are quite common, so I do recommend adding on another degree with it, if you think that may be an option you're interested in.
Talk to an education counselor about masters (and above) degree programs you can get into with a bachelors in political science, if you're interested in potentially persuing one some day. This can also help you determine if a political science degree is what you're looking for.
Talk to a CIA internship recruiter about their freshman internship program, which values political science students. It's a highly-specialized internship that many students don't know exists, but I do recommend looking into it and how to apply as soon as possible, if you decide to go into this field and think you may be interested in it.
If intelligence is a field of interest with regards to a political science degree, then I highly recommend adding on a degree in "national security and intelligence" and/or "international affairs."
Talk to people in the field you're interested in getting into and see what they did and would recommend doing.
If you're interested in specific-to-political-science, then you're still looking at quite a long list of options.
Government & Public Service:
- Policy Analyst
- Legislative Assistant
- Congressional Staffer (there are also some great internships that you can do in this field while still doing your degree)
- Program Analyst (federal agencies, state, local government all hire for this, often as GS/GG-13 and above)
- Foreign Service Officer
- Intelligence Analyst
- Diplomat or Political Officer
- City/County Management roles
- Public Affairs Specialist
- Regulatory Analyst
- Federal contractor roles (Booz Allen, Leidos, SAIC, etc.)
Agencies in these fields include: State Dept, Dept of Defense (now known as the Dept of War), FBI, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Justice, Central Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial Agency, CISA, GAO, Congress, and federal think tanks.
Law, Compliance & Governance:
- Lawyer (with law school after your bachelor's program)
- Paralegal or Legal Analyst
- Compliance Analyst
- Ethics Officer
- Regulatory Affairs Specialist
- Risk and Governance Analyst
- Contract Specialist
It should be noted that all federal and state agencies have the above positions, in addition to the private sector.
Policy, Research & Think Tanks:
- Public Policy Analyst
- Research Associate
- Think tank fellow (such as Brookings, RAND, CSIS, Cato, and Urban Institute)
- Monitoring & Evaluation Analyst
- Social Science Researcher
- Program Evaluation Specialist
International Affairs & National Security:
- Foreign Service Officer
- International Program Officer
- Intelligence Analyst (there are a wide variety of Intelligence Analyst topics in all sectors, such as cyber intelligence, leadership analysis (the CIA is well-known for this one), military intelligence (you don't have to be in the military to do military intelligence--they do have civilian employment in this field, which many people don't realize), criminal intelligence, foreign intelligence analysis (such as Russian intelligence analysis or global intelligence), and health intelligence).
- Political Risk Analyst
- Security Studies Analyst
- Democracy & governance specialist
- International development officer
- NGO program manager
- Humanitarian affairs officer
- SCRM Analyst (Supply Chain Risk Management)
- Disaster Preparedness (FEMA)
Politics, Campaigns & Advocacy:
- Campaign Manager
- Policy Advisor
- Political Consultant
- Legislative Director
- Field Organizer
- Lobbyist
- Advocacy Program Manager
- Government Relations Specialist
Corporate, Business & Consulting
- Management Consultant
- Government Affairs Associate
- Public Policy Manager (tech companies, banks, and energy firms)
- Corporate intelligence
- Risk Analyst
- ESG or sustainability analyst
- SCRM Analyst (Supply Chain Risk Management)
- Human capital or operations roles
- Public sector consultant
- Global Security Operations Center Operator
- Intake Operator
- Security Monitoring
- Emergency Response Analyst
Media, Communications & Writing:
- Political Correspondent
- Policy Journalist
- Communications Director
- Public Affairs Officer
- Strategic Communications Specialist
- Speechwriter
- Corporate or nonprofit communications
Education, Research & Grad School Pipelines:
- Professor (with PhD)
- Lecturer
- Academic researcher
- Institutional research analyst
- Curriculum or civic education roles
- Grade School Teacher
- Career Coach
- Education Coach
Something worth noting: A political science degree alone rarely equals a job title. It's usually paired with internships, research experience, writing samples, data and tech skills, a security clearance, the pathways program (federal, see USAJobs.gov for more info), or grad school (optional). It is also highly recommended that you become proficient in at least one additional language, even if you plan on staying domestic (ie, national policy and affairs, vs foreign policy or international affairs), as this will also help give you a competitive edge.
Wendy recommends the following next steps: