Department Overview

What can you do with a Political Science degree?

Quite a lot, actually. One of the most common misconceptions is that political science is a great major for students who want to go on to law school, but not for people who wish to go on to other careers. In reality, we’ve designed our major to provide a rigorous and broad-based education that promotes the following goals:

• critical thinking and analytical reasoning
• excellent writing skills
• the ability to speak persuasively
• an understanding and appreciation of diverse intellectual and cultural perspectives
• an understanding of quantitative research and methodology

These skills are important in almost any profession, so it’s not surprising that our graduates pursue careers in politics, law, education, journalism, business and finance, as well as going on to advanced graduate work.

Don’t get us wrong—if you are interested in going on to law school, our department has a great track record, having placed graduates at the top law schools in the country including:

• Tulane University
• Duke University
• Willamette University
• University of Minnesota
• Georgetown University
• UCLA

But our graduates also have gone on positions such as:

• Chief of Staff for Representative Carla Puliso
• News Director at KBOO-FM
• Analyst at California Department of Industrial Relations
• Client Coordinator at Arthur J Gallagher- Reta Trust
• Investigator at Iowa State Public Defender’s Office
• Lawyers / Judicial Law Clerks

Many have taken jobs overseas.

Check out these brief profiles from some of our alumni to see the wide range of career possibilities one can enjoy with a political science degree. And if you ever have any questions, just come talk to us in person.