A Political Science degree is for those people who are interested in current events in national and international politics and want to play a role in shaping a future for the world at the political stage. This degree enables them to get jobs in different government and private sectors that are related to politics, current affairs, and policymaking. Most of the federal and government aides, assistants, political workers, politicians, activists, and public relations officers graduate with a political science degree. From these examples, you can see the demand for people with the right type of education in political sciences.

In a political science degree, you will learn about the current events in local or international politics, political theories, models, and how political problems are resolved. With the help of this knowledge, you can understand what people want and can perform better in multiple positions. For example, political science graduates become excellent public relations officers because they understand the dynamics of the public better and can deal with it more appropriately. That is why many politicians, and even governments, hire political science graduates to represent them in the media. Political science degrees also offer some of the best jobs. Below is a list of some of these top career choices after a political sciences degree. 

Top 15 Career Choices After a Political Science Degree:

Here are the top 15 best and highest paying career choices after a Political Science degree.

• Political Scientist
• Policy Analyst
• Campaign Manager
• Policy Researcher
• Political Writer
• Political Advisor
• Journalist
• PR Specialists
• Social Media Manager
• Marketing Researcher
• Human Resource Specialist
• Historian
• Attorney
• Professor
• Lobbyist

Below is the detail about each of these career choices in Political Science.

1.   Political Scientist:

After completing your political sciences degree, you can become a political scientist. This is one of the most favorite choices among political science students. It is one of the research positions in different government and private organizations. The job of a political scientist is to research the different political systems, impacts of politics in public, origin, development, and progress of a political system, and more subjects related to politics. It is one of those jobs that can provide you with a six-figure salary and some of the best working conditions. It is also one of the most competitive professions, as there are only a few scientist positions available and there are a lot of eligible candidates.

As it is a research-based position, the entry-level requirements for this job are a master’s degree. You must also have some background in research to become eligible for this job. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of political scientists is about $125,350. The top ten percent can make more than $170,800 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $62,840. The total number of people employed as political scientists is about 7,000 and the profession will grow at the rate of 9% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 600 new jobs in the next ten years.

2.   Policy Analyst:

The job of the policy analyst is also one of the best jobs after a political sciences degree. Policy analysts are also political scientists, but their focus is on analyzing different policies and finding out their flaws so that these policies can be changed or improved. Policy analysts are hired by private organizations, federal and state governments, and political parties. Policy analysts help governments create better policies, and help political parties formulate their election campaigns. 

This is a job that you can get after a bachelor’s or master’s degree if you have the right type of skills. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of policy analysts is about $125,350. The top ten percent can make more than $170,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $60,000. The total number of jobs in this profession is about 7000 and the expected growth rate is 9%.

3.   Campaign Manager:

You can also become a campaign manager after completing your education in political sciences. The job of a campaign manager is to help the client win an election. Campaign managers are hired by political parties, activists, and politicians. Not only this but some campaign managers are also hired by private businesses to create media campaigns on their behalf and make their brand visible in the competitive markets. It is one of those jobs that pay a six-figure salary after just a bachelor’s degree. To do this job, you need skills such as management, public relations, marketing, branding, social media management, and related skills.

The entry-level requirement for this job is a bachelor’s and five years of experience but if you have a master’s degree in political sciences, you will be preferred for this job role. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of campaign managers is about $118,430. The top ten percent can make more than $208,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $66,740. The total number of people employed as campaign managers is about 89,000 and the profession will grow at the rate of 13% between 2020 to 2030. This profession would create more than 11,300 jobs. But there will be a lot of competition for each of these job positions.

4.   Policy Researcher:

After completing your education in the field of political sciences, you can become a policy researcher. Policy researchers are also known as policy scientists. They research different theories about policies and how they impact the people. They work for federal and state governments, and also for political parties, politicians, non-profit organizations, and even for the United Nations. This is also one of those jobs that can provide you with a six-figure salary.

It is a research-related job which is why candidates with a master’s degree or doctorate are preferred. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of policy researchers is about $147,208. The top ten percent can make more than $160,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $65,000. The total number of people employed as policy researchers is about 5000 and the profession will grow at the rate of 6% between 2020 to 2030. This profession has limited jobs, which indicates a higher level of competition in this profession.

5.   Political Writer:

You can also become a political writer after completing your education in political sciences. During your course of study in political sciences, you will read many books written by expert scientists, and political activists. This can give you an idea about writing your theory, research paper, or book. Politics is one of the most famous genres of books that a lot of people read. You can write about different political theories or theologies. If you do not want to write a book, you can become a political column writer in a newspaper or magazine or for an online blogging website.

Although this job requires deeper knowledge and understanding of the political sciences, people with a bachelor’s degree can also become writers and authors. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of political writers is about $67,120. The top ten percent can make more than $133,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $50,000. The total number of people employed as political writers is about 143,200 and the profession will grow at the rate of 9% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 12,200 new jobs in the next ten years. As the number of jobs is limited, there will be more competition in this profession as well.

6.   Political Advisor:

After completing your degree in political sciences, you can become a political advisor. Political advisors are appointed by state, federal, and local governments, political parties, United Nations, activists, and political parties. Their job is to analyze the outlook of the political scenarios and advise their client. The United States Federal government also hires many advisors for the president to advise on different matters of the state. For example, press advisor, foreign policy advisor, development advisor, public appearance and speaking advisor, and more such positions.

You can get this job after a bachelor’s degree and some experience in the political advisory profession. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of political advisors is about $62,810. The top ten percent can make more than $120,800 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $40,000. The total number of people employed as political advisors is about 272,300 and the profession will grow at the rate of 11% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 31,200 new jobs in the next ten years. This profession has comparatively less competition.

7.   Journalist:

The job of a journalist is to provide the latest news to the audience. Journalists work for newspapers, TV channels, and news broadcasters. Their job is to look for the incidents worth reporting in their area and try to cover that event through investigative journalism. Some journalists work on a local scale, while some work on a national and international scale. This is one of those jobs where strong communications skills and investigative journalist skills are required. You should be able to listen to the audience and be able to observe an event and report it in the right way possible.

Bachelor’s degree is the entry-level requirement for this job, while some positions also require having higher education and some experience. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of journalists is about $49,300. The top ten percent can make more than $100,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $35,000. The total number of people employed as Journalists is about 46,700 and the profession will grow at the rate of 6% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 2800 new jobs in the next ten years. Due to the shortage of jobs, this profession will have more competition for each job.

8.   PR Specialists:

You can also become a public relations specialist after completing your education in political sciences. This is a job that requires talking to the media, representing your brand or personality, or political views. Public relations specialists help political parties, brands, politicians, activists, and even businesses to build a positive public perception or image. For example, if a local politician is contesting for elections, he/she will hire a public relations specialist to work on building and maintaining a positive image and spreading his/her word to the public.

To get this job, you will need a bachelor’s degree and some experience that you can acquire by working in a Public Relations agency. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of public relations specialists is about $62,810. The top ten percent can make more than $118,210 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $35,350. The total number of people employed as public relations specialists is about 272,300 and the profession will grow at the rate of 11% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 272,300 new jobs in the next ten years.

9.   Social Media Manager:

The job of a social media manager is to manage the social media accounts of their client. This is a similar job to public relations specialist but instead of managing the public appearance or image of the client on traditional media and using traditional means of marketing, social media managers use social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. These platforms have a huge audience and potential. This helps local and international brands, celebrities, companies, and politicians to engage with their fans and increase their following or achieve their potential goals.

This job also has a bachelor’s as a minimum requirement for employment. But if you have a master’s degree or some experience, you will be preferred for this job. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of social media managers is about $141,490. The top ten percent can make more than $208,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $70,000. The total number of people employed as social media managers is about 316,800 and the profession will grow at the rate of 10% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 31,800 new jobs in the next ten years. This indicates that this is a moderately competitive profession.

10. Marketing Researcher:

After completing your education in political sciences, you can also become a marketing researcher. The job of a marketing researcher requires the ability to understand different demographics of the people and this is what you will also learn in your political science degree. Tools that are used for research in this job are also similar to what is used in political sciences research. This makes it easy for those with a political sciences degree to do market research and become marketing researchers.

This is one of the high-paying jobs after a bachelor’s degree that provides a good salary and other job benefits. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of marketing researchers is about $65,810. The top ten percent can make more than $100,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $40,840. The total number of people employed as political scientists is about 740,900 and the profession will grow at the rate of 22% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 163,600 new jobs in the next ten years. According to this data, there are a lot of jobs in this profession and that is why the overall competition is much less in this profession.

11. Human Resource Specialist:

The job of a human resources specialist or manager is to manage the human resources department of a company. A human resources specialist will be responsible for one or more tasks including training and orientation of the new staff, checking the working performance of the existing workforce, making advertisements for new job vacancies, interviewing, and selecting new candidates for multiple job positions. They also determine multiple factors such as salaries for each job position, and who will be promoted, and who will be retained or degraded based on their performance.

The minimum education requirement for this job is a bachelor’s degree with some experience or a master’s degree. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of human resources specialists is about $63,490. The top ten percent can make more than $109,350 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $37,710. The total number of people employed as human resources specialists is about 674,800 and the profession will grow at the rate of 10% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 70,200 new jobs in the next ten years. This job also has less competition as there are more jobs.

12. Historian:

You can also become a historian after completing your education in the field of political sciences. The history of politics is as old as human history itself and the job of historians is to research different aspects of the history, document them, and present them to the world. As a historian, you can write research papers, or books or even write for different history magazines and social blogs. Historians also work for colleges and universities where they teach about history.

You will need a master’s degree to become a historian. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of historians is about $63,100. The top ten percent can make more than $100,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $40,000. The total number of people employed as historians is about 3,100 and the profession will grow at the rate of 5%. Due to only a small number of seats available, there will be more competition in this profession

13.  Attorney:

You can also become an attorney after completing your education in political sciences. You will have to complete an additional J.D or Juris Doctor degree of three years. Upon completion, you may also have to pass the bar exams to state certifications to practice as an attorney. Taking a political science major for a bachelor’s before a Juris Doctor degree has many benefits. It provides you with all the information that you will need and it also provides you with the basic skills that are useful in Juris Doctor studies as well.

Juris Doctor is the basic requirement for this job, and you must also pass a bar exam to practice the law. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of attorneys is about $126,930. The top ten percent can make more than $208,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $70,000. The total number of people employed as lawyers is about 804,200 and the profession will grow at the rate of 9% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 71,500 new jobs in the next ten years. But it is one of the toughest professions as it requires a lot of hard work and studying.

14. Professor:

Professors teach at universities, colleges, and special education centers. After completing a doctorate in political sciences, you can become a professor of political science and teach this subject. As it is one of those jobs where you will be teaching the students of master’s and bachelor’s level, you need to have better and more knowledge as compared to your students. Apart from a doctorate, you must have also contributed to the research in political sciences.

Many universities and colleges have criteria about hiring only published authors, or researchers for this role. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of a professor is about $80,560. The top ten percent can make more than $150,000 and the lowest ten percent earners make about $60,000. The total number of people employed as professors is about 1,276,900 and the profession will grow at the rate of 12% between 2020 to 2030. It would create more than 156,700 new jobs. This is also one of the less competitive fields. 

15. Lobbyist:

You can also become a lobbyist after completing your education in political sciences. The job of a lobbyist is to work for a cause and persuade the public and government into thinking that this cause is worth spending their money, or worth including in policy. Many lobbyists work closely with legislators and government officials. Lobbyists are employed by any group that wants to influence the people and the government.

You can get this job after a bachelor’s degree. According to the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of lobbyists is about $125,350. Many lobbyists make a six-figure salary per year. The total number of jobs in this profession is 7000, and it has a growth rate of 9%.

Benefits and Salaries for Political Science-Related Jobs:

Job Position	Requirements	Number of Jobs	Job outlook	Median Income
Political Scientist	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	7,000	9%	$125,350
Policy Analyst	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	7,000	9%	$125,350
Campaign Manager	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	89,000	13%	$118,430
Policy Researcher	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	5,000	6%	$147,208
Political Writer	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	143,200	9%	$67,120
Political Advisor	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	272,300	11%	$62,810
Journalist	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	46,700	6%	$49,300
PR Specialists	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	272,300	11%	$62,810
Social Media Manager	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	316,800	10%	$141,490
Marketing Researcher	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	740,900	22%	$65,810
Human Resource Specialist	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	674,800	10%	$63,490
Historian	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	3,100	5%	$63,100
Attorney	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	804,200	9%	$126,930
Professor	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	1,276,900	12%	$80,560
Lobbyist	Bachelor-Master-Ph.D.	7,000	9%	$125,350

Note 🙁 Bachelors for the job and Masters for further promotion) data source Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Types of Political Science Degrees:

Here is the list of the top three degrees that you can do with a Political Science major.

1.   Bachelor’s Degree:

A Bachelor’s in political sciences is a college or university education degree after completing high school. It requires completion of over 120 credit hours and studying multiple subjects including political sciences, and communication. It is a comprehensive degree that will not only prepare you for the job of the political scientist, advisor, researcher but will also prepare you for multiple other job roles such as marketing manager, human resources manager, and public relations specialist. It takes four or more years to complete and can cost more than $100,000.

2.   Master’s Degree:

This is a higher education degree in political sciences. It is for those who are looking for better-paying career choices or those who are interested in researching in political science fields. This degree can take more than two years to complete and requires completing 30+ credit hours. It can cost you more than $60,000 in total. After this degree, you will become eligible for jobs that require a master’s degree such as jobs in research fields.

3.   Ph.D. or Doctorate:

A Ph.D. in political sciences can take more than four years to complete and requires completing 120 credit hours and doing some research on one or more topics in political sciences. It is a degree for those who want to become researchers or professors at the university level.  This degree can cost you more than $200,000 in total. 

Skills You Will Learn From Political Science Degree:

• Political skills
• Communication skills
• Digital Media skills
• Public relations skills
• Human resource skills
• Management skills
• Research skill

Conclusion:

Political sciences are one of those majors that are not only easy but provide similar benefits as any of the hard majors. It is known as an easy major because it is theoretical and if you study properly, you can master it completely and get a higher score. This is why many people who want to do a doctorate in any other profession take political sciences as a major. For example, many lawyers take the political sciences as a major for a bachelor’s before a doctorate in law. Political science also offers many career choices that pay very well; for example, you can see from the data above that many of the jobs after a degree in political sciences offer a six-figure income per year. Only a few other science majors offer such salaries but they are comparatively hard. So, if you were looking for an easy choice for a college major, you should consider political sciences.

FAQs:

Question: What is the scope of political science?

Answer: The scope of political science includes studying states, political systems, and different types of governments; it also includes studying political theories and their effectiveness. Apart from that, it also includes studying politics, behaviors of the public related to politics, and political issues.

Question: What is the study of political sciences all about?

Answer: The study of political science is all about studying and understanding politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives. This knowledge helps define many subjects and matters that affect the daily lives of millions. For example, political unrest in one part of the world impacts everyone in the other part of the world, which is why governments and private institutions hire political scientists to better understand these dynamics so that they are better prepared and also to make efforts towards resolving political issues.

Question: How can we easily define political science?

Answer: We can define the political sciences as the study of politics, power, and governmental systems.