What Can You Do With Your Political Science Degree? | College & Careers | The Princeton Review
Summary
TLDRRob Franek from The Princeton Review explores the versatility of a political science major, highlighting its relevance in diverse careers like law, politics, and nonprofit sectors. With nearly 42,000 degrees awarded in 2019, the major equips graduates with research, communication, and data analysis skills. Entry-level jobs include Public Relations Coordinator and Legislative Assistant, while advanced degrees open paths in academia, law, and executive roles. The video encourages political science enthusiasts to share their interests in the field.
Takeaways
- 🎓 Political science is a popular major, with nearly 42,000 undergraduate degrees awarded in 2019.
- 🌍 This major provides a strong foundation in research, communication, and data analysis skills, applicable to both private and public sectors.
- 📈 The field is growing, with political science graduates joining a workforce of 3.8 million professionals in social sciences.
- 👩💼 Graduates can pursue careers in law, politics, government, nonprofit, media, consulting, financial services, business, and education.
- 📰 Entry-level jobs include Public Relations Coordinator, Social Media Manager, Nonprofit Program Coordinator, and Legislative Assistant.
- 💡 A political science degree is versatile, opening doors to various roles in advocacy, research, and policy-making.
- 🏛️ Law school is a common path for political science majors, leading to careers as lobbyists, corporate lawyers, or legal advocates.
- 🎓 Pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) can lead to management roles in public and private sectors, such as City Manager or Charity Director.
- 📚 Doctoral programs in political science prepare graduates for academic and research-oriented careers, including professorships and think tank roles.
- 🌟 The video encourages political science majors to share their interests in the field and subscribe for more college and career insights.
Q & A
What is the focus of a political science major?
-A political science major focuses on learning about systems of government, political behavior, and how to apply political theories to current events, with an emphasis on global affairs, public policy, and current events.
How popular is a political science degree in terms of undergraduate degrees awarded?
-Political science is a popular major, with nearly 42,000 total undergraduate degrees awarded in 2019.
What are some of the skills that a political science degree equips students with?
-A political science degree equips students with strong research, communication, and data analysis skills applicable to careers in both the private and public sectors.
What types of careers can political science graduates pursue?
-Political science graduates can pursue careers in law, politics, government, the nonprofit sector, media, consulting, financial services, business, and education.
What is the role of a Public Relations Coordinator in the context of political science?
-As a Public Relations Coordinator, political science graduates use their writing skills to write and edit press releases, manage media contact lists, and monitor press coverage, shaping public opinion through media.
How does a Social Media Manager's role differ from a Public Relations Coordinator?
-A Social Media Manager focuses on monitoring and shaping public opinion through digital platforms, developing social media campaigns and strategies, as opposed to traditional media-focused roles like a Public Relations Coordinator.
What responsibilities does a Nonprofit Program Coordinator have?
-A Nonprofit Program Coordinator helps further the mission of a nonprofit by coordinating events, writing outreach materials, organizing program agendas, and assisting with project management.
What does a Legislative Assistant do in relation to legislation?
-A Legislative Assistant takes on responsibilities related to legislation, including writing, editing, and tracking legislation, serving as a point of contact for constituents, and drafting speeches and talking points.
Why do many political science majors choose to pursue advanced degrees?
-Many political science majors pursue advanced degrees to prepare for roles in academia, law, and executive leadership, enhancing their career options and professional qualifications.
What career opportunities does a law degree offer to political science majors?
-A law degree offers political science majors a variety of career paths, including developing legislation as a lobbyist, working as a corporate lawyer, or as a legal advocate for at-risk populations or issue-based organizations within the nonprofit sector.
What is the significance of a Master of Public Administration (MPA) for political science majors?
-An MPA allows political science majors to specialize in areas like Nonprofit Management, Public Policy Analysis, Urban Development, and International Relations, leading to meaningful work as managers in both public and private sectors.
What opportunities does a PhD in political science provide?
-A PhD in political science prepares individuals for careers in academia as researchers, professors, and scholars at universities, think tanks, consulting firms, and government institutions.
Outlines
🎓 Exploring Political Science Majors
Rob Franek from The Princeton Review introduces the topic of political science majors, emphasizing its relevance and versatility. He discusses the appeal of the major, which includes studying government systems, political behavior, and applying theories to current events. Franek highlights the popularity of the major, with nearly 42,000 undergraduate degrees awarded in 2019, and positions it as a service-oriented field that equips graduates with strong research, communication, and data analysis skills. The segment also touches on the growing field of social sciences, where political science graduates join a workforce of 3.8 million professionals.
📈 Career Paths for Political Science Graduates
The script delves into the career opportunities available to political science majors, emphasizing the versatility of the degree. It outlines entry-level jobs such as Public Relations Coordinator, Social Media Manager, Nonprofit Program Coordinator, and Legislative Assistant, each role leveraging the skills acquired during the political science studies. The segment also discusses the benefits of pursuing advanced degrees, like law school, Master of Public Administration (MPA), and doctoral programs, which can lead to careers in academia, law, executive leadership, and other specialized areas. The video encourages viewers to consider the variety of paths open to them with a political science degree and invites them to share their interests in the field.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Political Science Major
💡Service-Oriented Career
💡Research Skills
💡Data Analysis
💡Public Relations Coordinator
💡Social Media Manager
💡Nonprofit Program Coordinator
💡Legislative Assistant
💡Advanced Degrees
💡Law School
💡Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Highlights
Political science is a versatile major that prepares students for service-oriented careers.
Nearly 42,000 undergraduate degrees in political science were awarded in 2019.
Political science majors develop strong research, communication, and data analysis skills.
Graduates join 3.8 million professionals with degrees in the social sciences.
Versatile political science degree opens doors to careers in law, politics, government, nonprofit, media, consulting, financial services, business, and education.
Popular entry-level jobs include Public Relations Coordinator and Social Media Manager.
Nonprofit Program Coordinators help further the mission of a nonprofit organization.
Legislative Assistants work with elected officials and advocacy groups on legislation.
Advanced degrees can lead to roles in academia, law, and executive leadership.
Law school is a popular choice for political science majors, with many career paths available post-graduation.
Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs specialize in areas like Nonprofit Management and Public Policy Analysis.
MPA graduates often work as managers in both public and private sectors.
PhD programs in political science prepare students for careers in academia and research.
In 2019, over 700 people pursued doctorates in political science.
Political science majors have a wide array of career options available to them.
Encouragement for those planning to major in political science to share their interests in the field.
Transcripts
Hello, everyone! I am Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, and today we are covering
that oft-repeated question when it comes to college majors:
What are you going to do with that?
Let’s drill down further, because today, my friends, we’re going to talk about
your poli-sci major. Maybe you majored in political science because you are fascinated
by global affairs, public policy, and current events. As a political science
major, you get to learn about systems of government and political behavior, and how
to apply political theories to current events. And you are far from alone. With nearly
42,000 total undergraduate degrees awarded in 2019, political science is a fantastic field
for students looking for a service-oriented career that combines research and advocacy.
It’s also a multipurpose degree that equips you with strong research,
communication, and data analysis skills applicable to careers in both the private and public sectors.
It’s also a growing field. Upon earning your political science degree,
you’d join 3.8 million professionals with degrees in the social sciences.
While all of this sounds amazing, I know what you’re about to ask! What in the world can I do
with a degree in political science? And the answer is plenty!
Like many social science degrees, political science is a versatile major.
Upon graduation, many political science majors pursue roles in law, politics, and government,
while others build enriching careers in the nonprofit sector, media, consulting,
financial services, business, and education! Speaking of which, let’s discuss some of the
most popular ENTRY-LEVEL jobs for political science majors.
Public Relations Coordinator — As a PR coordinator,
you’ll put your writing skills to work writing and editing press releases,
managing media contact lists, and monitoring press coverage. This is a great fit for majors
interested in media, as you’ll learn firsthand how to use media to shape public opinion.
Social Media Manager –– In today’s digital world, public opinion is also
greatly influenced by social media! Politicians, nonprofit organizations,
political parties, and interest groups all need digital-savvy social media managers to monitor
the views of constituents and their overall audience. In this role,
you’ll help develop social media campaigns and strategies to monitor and shape perception.
Nonprofit Program Coordinator — As an entry-level program coordinator,
you’ll help further the mission of a nonprofit by coordinating events, writing outreach materials,
organizing program agendas, and assisting with project management. If you’re passionate
about a particular cause and making a meaningful contribution, this is a role worth considering!
Legislative Assistant –– As a legislative assistant, you’ll take on a variety of
responsibilities related to legislation, including writing, editing, and tracking legislation,
serving as point of contact for constituents, and drafting speeches and talking points. This is a
great opportunity for those looking to work with elected officials and advocacy groups.
Now that we’ve covered a mere handful of the entry-level roles available after graduation,
let’s discuss some of the career paths available to you should you pursue an advanced degree.
While you certainly don’t need an advanced degree to have a rewarding career,
many political science majors choose to pursue master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees
to prepare for roles in academia, law, and executive leadership. So,
let’s review what you can do with these degrees. Law school is a popular track for political
science majors––and fun fact, political science is one for the most popular majors amongst law school
applicants each year! No surprise since similar to political scientists, lawyers are also interested
in studying legal systems, conducting research, and doing a significant amount of reading
and writing! Not to mention, a law degree offers a variety of career paths––some quite lucrative!
You could develop legislation at the local, state, or national level as a lobbyist. You could work
as a corporate lawyer drafting contracts and establishing a corporate governance framework
for corporations. You could also work as a legal advocate for at-risk populations or issue-based
organizations within the nonprofit sector. In a nutshell,
you’ll have an array of options available to you.
Many political science majors also go on to pursue master’s programs, such as a Master of
Public Administration (or MPA) to specialize in a particular area of political science––like
Nonprofit Management, Public Policy Analysis, Urban Development, and International Relations.
MPA graduates often find meaningful work as managers in both the public
and private sectors, including as a City Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of a city;
Charity Director managing organizational fundraising efforts; Human Resources
Director developing hiring strategies and employee policies, and Campaign Manager
overseeing fundraising, volunteers, and media requests for a political candidate.
More than 700 people also pursued doctorates in political science in 2019. As a PhD student,
you’ll spend several years learning in small classes with experienced faculty mentors, while
putting together a dissertation and completing original research. A PhD or doctoral program
is a great path for those looking for a career in academia, specifically as a researcher, professor,
and scholar at universities, think tanks, consulting firms, and government institutions.
So if you’re wondering: What can I do with that degree? The answer, my friends, is a lot.
If you’re planning to major in political science,
leave us a comment and tell us what you love about the field!
As always, thanks so much for watching! Please subscribe to our channel for all the latest,
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