Political Party.
Public Interest .
JOURNALISM.
Editing.
Reporting/Research.
Circulation.
Sales .
BUSINESS.
International .
National.
Marketing/Sales.
Human Resources.
Advertising.
Public Relations.
Banking/Finance.
Retail .
BROADCAST JOURNALISM.
News Programming.
Production .
A degree in Political Science opens doors to opportunities in many careers. Government employment offers a number of opportunities for initial entry and advancement up a career ladder to increasingly responsible positions. The federal government is the nation's largest employer; directly or indirectly, it employs nearly 3.1 million civilians and there are approximately 100,000 new hires each year. There are opportunities to work in the congress or the courts as well as the executive branch. By tradition, many political science majors build on their substantive knowledge of public policy making and of constitutional change, and pursue careers in the law and advocacy. While political science is not the only route to obtaining a graduate law degree, many successful careers in law have started in political science programs. Courses on courts, administrative law and regulatory practice, and on international legal practices are an excellent preparation for the substance and skills that are developed in law school programs.
Private interest groups and associations are located in every state capitol as well as Washington, D.C. While it is sometimes assumed that most Washington lobbyists are lawyers or former government officials, or both, a recent study of several hundred interest group representatives found that while about one-third had law degrees, only one-fifth were practicing lawyers and nearly one-third had other kinds of advanced educational training. Strong backgrounds in the social sciences are certainly valuable. By a considerable margin, political science was the most popular undergraduate major. Writing skill is also highly prized. A large number of political science graduates (some studies suggest one-third) have traditionally found employment in the business sector of the economy.