Political Science - Careers
What Can I Do With This Degree? / Career Links
What Can I Do With This Degree?
GOVERNMENT
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Public Policy Research Regional Planning City or Town Management Peace Corps Intelligence Service Foreign Service Political Affairs Economic Affairs Administrative Affairs Consular Services U.S. International Communication Agency |
Federal, State, and Local Government | Complete an Internship. Serve in a model United Nations. Become involved in student government. Participate in cross-cultural groups/organizations. Write for campus publication dealing with national and international affairs. Develop skills in computers, statistics, data analysis. Acquire foreign language competency for international positions. Supplement curriculum with business courses. Earn a graduate degree in political science or public administration for advancement. |
LAW
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Lawyer Legal Assistant Paralegal |
Law Firms Corporations State and Local Governments Private Practice Public Interest Agencies |
Develop research, writing, analytical, and communication skills. Attend law school to earn a law degree. Attend a specialized training program for paralegals. |
POLITICS
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Staff of State or National Official Campaign Worker Groups Political Party Public Interest |
Legislators, national and state Republical/Democratic National Committee Public Interest Advocacy Groups Campaigns--national, state, county, city |
Volunteer for local or national campaigns. Gain experience through internships. Attain leadership roles in campus or local organizations. Develop excellenct verbal & written communication skills. Become involved in campus political organizations, student government, campus publications, and community service projects. Take courses in statistics, computer science, environmental protection, or public policy. Develop a network of personal contacts. |
JOURNALISM
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Editing Reporting/ Research Circulation Sales |
Large Circulation Newspapers Local Newspapers Wire Services Trade Newspapers |
Find summer/part-time work and internships. Get sales experience. Gain skills in desktop publishing and photography. Develop excellent grammar, verbal, and writing skills. Serve on college newspaper, yearbook, or other publications. Become student member of professional associations. |
BUSINESS
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| International National Marketing/ Sales Human Resources Advertising Public Relations Banking/ Finance Retail |
Business Firms | Develop strong analytical, verbal, writing, and computer skills. Acquire a business minor or double major. Get experience in area of interest through internships or other employment. Earn leadership role in campus organization. |
BROADCAST JOURNALISM
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| News Programming Production |
Major TV Networks Commercial TV Stations Public TV Stations National Radio Networks State/Regional Radio Networks Medium/Small-Market Radio Station Independent Radio Syndications |
Gain experience in radio or TV: reporting, writing, production, or announcing. Secure internship. Volunteer with public radio or TV. Develop good reporting, writing, verbal, and debate skills. Cultivate attractive/appealing appearance. Announce sports events. Become involved in drama: direct, act, or work with technical crew. |
NONPROFIT
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Administration Management Public Relations Fund Raising |
Nonprofit Organizations Foundations Professional Associations Interst Groups Charities |
Gain experience through volunteerism and internships. Supplement curriculum with business courses. Serve in leadership roles in campus organizations. Develop strong written and oral communication skills. |
EDUCATION
| Area | Employers | Strategies |
| Education | Public Schools Private Schools Colleges and Universities |
Certification required for public school teaching; seek certification in more than one subject for greater marketability. Earn a PhD for college teaching. Volunteer with community and chrurch youth programs. Participate in sports (can lead to coaching). Become involved in student clubs, debate, publications, government, and activities |
Career Links
Career Network
chronicle.com/jobs/
The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Career Network" site features job listings in higher education by discipline, advise for job seekers, job-market news, as well as first-person accounts from job-seekers in higher education.
HigherEdJobs.com
www.HigherEdJobs.com
HigherEdJobs.com is the largest job database focused exclusively on college and university positions. HigherEdJobs.com was designed to help job seekers and job posters in higher education find each other.
Job Guide
www.matrix.msu.edu/jobs/
The Job Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences is prepared by H-Net, Humanities and Social Sciences Online. The site covers positions in History and other fields in the Humanities and social sciences and is updated every Monday. The site allows customized searching and an archive of previous jobs.
Polling Report
PollingReport.com
An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion. It features Job Bank, Jobs, academic posts, and internships in the survey research field.
Jobs in Higher Education
www.academic360.com
A site prepared by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Texas at Austin for jobs in higher education. The site is updated frequently.
JournalismJobs.com
JournalismJobs.com
JournalismJobs.com is operated in association with Columbia Journalism Review magazine, through Columbia University, and is a free service for job seekers.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
USA Jobs
www.usajobs.opm.gov
The U.S. Government's official site for jobs and employment information, maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. Many positions requiring a social science background can be found through this site.
STATE GOVERNMENT
National Council of State Legislatures
www.ncsl.org/public/joblegis.htm
National Governor's Association
www.nga.org/employment.htm
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Careers in Public Service--National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
www.naspaa.org/publicservicecareers/
Advice on seeking a career in public service, first-person accounts, links to resources to find public service jobs.
National League of Cities
www.nlc.org/jobs.htm
POLITICAL RESEARCH
American Association for Public Opinion Research
www.aapor.org/bluebook/
-AAPOR/WAPOR (World Association) Blue Book – Directory of agencies and organizations; chapter listings
Congressional Research Service
www.loc.gov/crsinfo/
BUSINESS/MANAGEMENT/NON-PROFIT
The Johns Hopkins University SAIS: Career Services
www.sais-jhu.edu/careerservices/documents/sites.html
Career service web sites: Management consulting, investment banking, non-profits, multi-laterals, government and research.
Independent Sector
www.indepsec.org
Excellent links to hundreds of non-profit organizations
World Bank
wbln0018.worldbank.org/HRS/hrs_www.nsf
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
NGO Locator: Information and Links
www.ngonet.org/ngolocat.htm
Links also to US and West European NGO's
FUNDRAISING
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
philanthropy.com/jobs
*Policy.com
www.policy.com/community/opportunities.html
An extensive list of foundations, with brief descriptions and links
JOURNALISM
AJR NewsLink
ajr.newslink.org/joblink.html
JobLink for Journalists
Southeast Diversity Journalism
newsjobs.com/home.html
The National Diversity Newspaper Jobbank. Emphasis on employment for minorities and women
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
In addition to paid positions, all of the following offices provide internships.
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
senate.gov/~foreign
The Committee studies and reviews, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to the national security policy, foreign policy, and international economic policy as it relates to the United States. The Majority (Republican) Office of the Committee can be reached at (202) 224-4651. The Minority (Democratic) Office of the Committee: senate.gov/~foreign/minority
U.S.House International Relations Committee
house.gov/international_relations
The Committee studies and reviews, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to the national security policy, foreign policy, and international economic policy as it relates to the United States. The Majority (Republican) Office of the Committee can be reached at (202) 225-5021. The Minority (Democratic) Office of the Committee:house.gov/international_relations/democrats/dempage.htm
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
csce.gov
The Commission is authorized and directed: "to monitor the acts of the signatories which reflect compliance with or violation of the articles of the Finacl Act of Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, with particular regard to the provisions relating to Human Rights and Cooperation in Humanitarian Fields...," and "to report to the House of Representatives and the Senate with respect to the matters covered by this Act on a periodic basis and to provide information to members of the House and Senate as requested." This is a bipartisan office.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS POSITIONS WITH THE U.S EXECUTIVE BRANCH
In addition to paid positions, all of the following offices provide internships:
U.S. Department of State
state.gov/employment.cfm
Information on becoming a Foreign Service Officer, Foreign Service Specialist, or Civil Service employee for the U.S. Department of State.
U.S. Department of Defense
storm.psd.whs.pentagon.mil/cgi-bin/apply.pl
Online database of jobs at Defense Department Jobs.
Central Intelligence Agency
www.cia.gov/cia/employment/ciaeindex.htm
Online database of jobs at the CIA.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law Enforcement Links
www.tucson.com/mantis/links.html
MISC.
The Politix Group
http://www.politixgroup.com/dcjobs.htm
A massive database across a large diversity of employment areas.