Career Outcomes

Students who major or minor in political science often pursue careers in law, government, education, private industry, or the non-profit sector.

In recent years, the breakdown of next steps for our majors has been:

• 37% enter the private sector
• 28% go to law school
• 22% enter the public sector
• 13% go to graduate school
• 8% join a non-profit

Private sector positions for political science majors and minors can vary from positions in marketing and public relations to social media to finance. Because students can develop skills such as data analysis, critical thinking, and writing proficiency, they tend to be attractive candidates to a wide variety of firms.

Public sector jobs tend to be related to education, policy-making, lobbying, or working in government offices.

Positions that make use of students’ eventual law degree also often focus on policy, though political science majors develop specialties in the full range of legal options. Immigration law and environmental law have been especially popular in recent years.

Non-profit positions are often centered around advocacy of a political issue. Popular areas recently have included advocacy for climate policy, refugee protections, human rights, food security, and election integrity.

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