But while the degree certainly is specific it doesn’t have to be limiting. Political Science majors go on to work in a wide range of careers.
In this article, we take a comprehensive look at political science degrees. What they are, what skills they equip you with, and why you might consider pursuing one for a wide range of different careers.
What is Political Science?
Political science is an academic focus area that studies government structures, political processes, and behavioral patterns amongst groups within society. Political scientists seek to understand how power is distributed and exercised within a community.
They research decision-making processes and how the choices of people in power impact the larger community.
In a strictly political context, this involves researching policy impacts, comparing government structures, grappling with political theory, and performing many different research techniques, which are applied both to government structures and the people they serve.
As you probably can tell, however, many valuable skills go into political science. The ability to research, analyze, and think critically can be leveraged in many different career paths. Below, we will take a look at some surprising jobs you may be eligible for with a degree in political science.
Reporter
A reporter's job is not just to bear witness but also to be in the position to explain complicated concepts to a wide audience. Naturally, they first need to be able to understand those concepts themselves.
You can find a political component to most major news stories, and political science majors are uniquely qualified to identify said component and present it to their audience.
Human Resources Consultant
Curveball? Remember— political scientists study power structure. They analyze how decisions are made and the influence those decisions have on the people that they are designed to impact. Businesses draft internal policies and make choices that impact the lives of many people.
Walmart employs millions of people. That’s a small country’s worth of people whose lives are being shaped by the corporate policies of one company.
HR helps advocate for those employees and help shape choices that improve their lives.
Social Work
While social work is its own unique academic concentration, it’s heavily influenced by political processes. When people imagine social workers, it’s in the context of working with the disenfranchised.
While this is true, it represents only part of their responsibility. Social workers are advocates. Often, their advocacy forces them to interact directly with political processes, either by contacting policymakers or by organizing community events to call attention to specific issues.
Political scientists are uniquely well-positioned to navigate the political complexities of social work.
Non-Profit Fundraiser
People working in the non-profit center are similarly situated to social workers. While their work is narrowly focused, it is shaped by political processes in a very tangible way. There are many ways a political scientist can leverage their unique understanding to benefit a non-profit.
As advocates, they will know how to appeal directly to policymakers to better serve the focus areas that their non-profit is concerned with.
There are even benefits in a fundraising capacity. Because political scientists understand the potential consequences of political action, they can frame the stakes in a way that is accurate and compelling.
Communications
Communication is kind of vague as occupations go because it may mean very different things for some organizations. At one business, the communications director may focus narrowly on digital tools and collaboration techniques.
At another business, the role might extend outward toward the community in the form of email campaigns and even web content development.
In all cases, political scientists are well-qualified for the job because they can analyze data and think clearly about long-term, complex projects.
Get Creative
Maybe you’re recognizing a pattern at this point. If so, it’s an indication that you have a sharp mind, well-suited for political science. Getting a degree isn’t always about mastering the subjects of your focus area.
It’s about developing skills that can be applied to a wide range of different careers. Political scientists are analytical thinkers. They know how to recognize patterns, study data, and view information through an objective lens.
These are increasingly rare qualities. If you don’t believe us, how about you go ahead and log onto social media for a few minutes? Go on, we’ll wait.
Businesses and non-profit organizations want people who can work effectively in a wide range of roles. This is something political scientists excel at.
The jobs that we listed above are only “surprising,” in that they do not deal specifically with politics. Hopefully, it goes without saying that they hardly represent the full scope of opportunities available to those with a degree in political science.
There are many jobs requiring political scientists that are more specific to the concentration area. For example, lobbyists, policy advisors, and many other people working directly in politics got there through a political science degree.
There are tons of options available. Get creative as you think about what your degree made you good at, and how you can leverage those skills into your next line of work.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that some of these jobs will require additional degrees. For example, almost everyone working within the higher levels of social work has graduate degrees.
Many job analysts believe that continued specialized education will be an increasingly more important job success factor for everyone, regardless of their college degree. Business technology changes so fast now that everyone is faced with a tough choice: keep up or get left behind.
It’s a hard world to navigate, but not one that is beyond your reach.
A degree in political science equips you to think clearly, understand the way major decisions influence the masses, and generally think clearly.
These abilities are important in almost every high-level job. It’s just a matter of figuring out how you can leverage them to your advantage.
