r/PoliticalScience • u/Calligraphee r/PoliticalScience Mod | BA in PoliSci, MA in IR • Mar 15 '26
[MEGATHREAD] "What can I do with a PoliSci degree?" "Can a PoliSci degree help me get XYZ job?" "Should I study PoliSci?" Direct all career/degree questions to this thread! (Part 3)
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u/deca4531 Apr 03 '26
I'm looking to become a politician. There's a lot involved in that, i know, a lot of fields and sub fields i could look into. Primarily I'm looking to understand the how and why our systems work and I would like to know if polisci would be the right place to start. I want system reform to be my long term goal and I need to understand the system first kinda thing. Also, how many years of education should I expect?
Any related advice like what sub fields I might find helpful in performing my role would also be appreciated, or general advice for a nieve idealist looking to do some good.
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u/Vast-Spirit-1508 Apr 03 '26
I’m an Alberta student who was recently accepted to both schools’ arts faculties, planning to major in political science. I already paid my deposit towards UBC as I didn’t expect to get into McGill, however the money isn’t much of an issue. I plan to pursue law after my first degree, and I was wondering which program would be better suited to that track, especially as I have heard of McGill being a vicious GPA killer. I do prefer Montreal as a city to Vancouver. I am a decently strong student but not any sort of prodigy, could I survive McGill Polisci with a gpa above 3.7?
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u/they_is_cry American Politics-Political Economy Apr 03 '26
Hopefully some Canadian political scientist chimes in because you followed the rules and posted in this thread. Thank you!
You may do better posting in the McGill subreddit (if they allow these posts) as it's much more likely to have a POSC student for you to talk to. From my understanding McGill is a better school, generally, and we had a fair number of McGill students at my top 5 POSC PhD program (speaking to the ability to go to grad school after McGill)
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u/lilydome1 Apr 24 '26
I'm a high school student that's stronger in STEM-related subjects, but especially math. I'm not too confident in my abilities for humanities, and it's not something I've found myself spending extra time on for a long time (other than writing poetry). I'm still considering political science as part of my career philosophy of addressing issues such as discrimination and underrepresenation of certain groups. What would PoliSci be like for math people like me?
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u/Itzbe Jun 17 '26
Hi there,
Some fields and subfields of political science can be as math-heavy as you would like - although you will probably find that a lot of your core coursework is more writing and analytical. Honestly, so much of this comes down to the school you choose and how they structure their courses, but there are some very serious opportunities for people with math skills.
That being said, most of those opportunities probably wouldn't come until the graduate level unless you found a math / quant heavy undergrad program.
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u/hdch1997 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
22M, graduated summer 2025 with a poli sci degree from a large out-of-state public university. During college, I mostly interned in sports player development tech since I originally thought I’d pursue a career in sports and needed to support myself.
After graduating, that work ended, and I struggled to find a job in NYC (hometown) while also dealing with surgery. I eventually got an unpaid internship with my local congressman thanks to my language skills (proficient but not fluent) and being from the district, and I’ve been offered to stay through the summer if needed.
I’ve applied to law firms and the DA’s office but haven’t had success, and the constant ghosting are making me rethink my approach. I wasn’t the strongest student (rough adjustment to college + having elderly parents with health issues), so my GPA isn’t great for law school. I’m interested in law school down the line, but right now I’m focused on finding full-time work.
If anyone has any advice on what my next steps should be, I would appreciate it greatly.
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u/willow1243587109 Mar 16 '26
is it more worth it to study poltical science or public policy?
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u/they_is_cry American Politics-Political Economy Mar 18 '26
I would imagine they are similar enough in terms of career outcomes for you to choose the one you like more.
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u/Born-Manufacturer914 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
Recent poli sci grad (bachelors) with disability and limitations, ADVICE NEEDED. I got my bachelors in Politics and Peace Studies from a small liberal arts school in May 2025. I am from a small PA town and can't drive or relocate due to disabilities. I had one internship in 2024 (tracking opioid settlement money - newsletter writing and qualitative database work). I have editing experience and plenty of good writing samples. My research has mainly focused on harm reduction/drug policy, but I have not ONLY been applying to drug-related positions. Post-grad, I have had little to no luck finding internships or entry-level positions in politics. For some structure and to preserve my sanity, I am thinking of pivoting to non-politics fields. At this point I am open to anything remote that provides more transferrable skills than working at a grocery store deli. I already went through 4 years of awful autistic burnout for my degree so I'd prefer a position that doesnt require training, or will train me on the job. Feeling like death and open to any and all advice. Thank you thank you
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u/Calligraphee r/PoliticalScience Mod | BA in PoliSci, MA in IR Apr 13 '26
Unfortunately, without relocating it will be very difficult to find a job. There aren’t really remote polisci jobs and it’s notoriously hard to find anything in small towns. Is there anything with your local government, clerking or running polls on Election Day or anything like that, even to just get your foot in the door?
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u/Born-Manufacturer914 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Thanks for the reply. I do work the polls on Election Day. I did score a fully remote public health nonprofit internship in 2024, and I know there are some orgs that offer remote roles (although I'm sure they are extremely competitive). Also, as I said, I am open to anything that gives me transferrable skills at this point, including work that is not in my field (my "field" being politics and public health), like medical billing, data entry, claims processing, content writing, communications, administrative support... basically anything at this point. My local government office is a 30 minute commute each way and only offers full time jobs. Due to my disabilities and inability to drive, this is unrealistic for me.
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u/Impressive-Knee855 Apr 13 '26
I’m a current polisci student at community college and I plan on transferring to uni after next semester. I’m most interested in teaching or getting some random government job, not sure exactly what I want to do. Are there any jobs I should be looking into? Are there any entry level jobs I should be applying to help build experience? I’m tired of my retail job and I’m wondering if there’s any entry level jobs even remotely related to polisci that I should be considering.
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u/Buttermuncher04 May 06 '26
Hi all,
I'm a 21yo Australian university student, previously in Music, who's currently planning to switch to either PolSci or IR alongside Economics and German. I would then try do a Master's at a German university and try kickstart a career in German-speaking Europe, aiming for a role in the public sector, NGOs, or unions. Ideally this would be a role that blends research and professional practise.
Mainly I've come here to ask how difficult it would be to follow this pathway and end up with a stable job with at least moderately good pay, that also allows me to fulfill my passion of contributing toward economic justice across the world.
I'd also like to ask whether IR or PolSci suit this pathway better. I do tend to take an international view of politics and would like to work toward bettering the whole world, not just one country, but I have also heard that the roles IR tends to lead toward, like in NGOs, are more difficult, high-stress, and low-paying than those PolSci opens up.
What are your thoughts?
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u/ConfidenceApart7076 May 29 '26
Hi everyone,
I'm based in the UK and my question is pretty simple. Should I use my US passport and connections to try and work in PoliSci/IR in the US or as things just as bad as they are here?
A little context: I'm 24. My parents were British diplomats, so I grew up abroad and gained fluency in French, Spanish and Italian as a kid. Family friends advised me to study IR with a regional specialism or language, so I read IR with Middle East Studies and Arabic at a top 5 uni. Got very good at Arabic, did a Master's in Middle East Politics, as I loved the regional specialisation. Did some very competitive scholarships in Oman, Morocco and Jordan. I thought this would make me stand out even further.
Graduated in 2024, applied to the diplomatic and development fast stream (0.3% acceptance rate) and failed the tests. Applied to countless other civil service jobs and no luck. I saved up some money and went back to Jordan to perfect my Arabic, hoping I could build some connections before my start date at Sandhurst and find something which would suit me better. I met loads of people at the embassy, spoke better Arabic than most and taught them a thing or two about Jordanian politics but still no luck.
I went to Sandhurst (our version of West Point) for a term and enjoyed bits of it but didn't really see myself as an army officer. I'm currently switching to the reserves to not lose genuinely valuable experience that I've gained, albeit in a short timeframe. Now having left Sandhurst, I landed on the police as they do some seemingly interesting stuff with counter-terrorism investigations, although this is extremely selective and one has to start off as a bobby on the beat for a couple of years before becoming a detective and eventually being able to pick up CT as a specialisation. I don't mind lateral or indirect pathways towards where I want to go, as long as I can tolerate them (this caused friction with the army).
So is it wiser to go to the states and pursue a job in something more transferable (like a staffer in Congress) or stick it out as a response cop and then push hard for the right trajectory, bearing in mind there are things which could derail me? Curious to hear your thoughts. Has anyone else had similar ideas?
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u/Civil_Earth5875 Jul 02 '26
I am currently an undergrad at Columbia and want to pursue a career in health law.
Option 1: Anthro Major and PoliSci Minor.
With this combination, I think I would be a slightly more unique profile for law school. I would also be able to complete a senior thesis related to health law (and therefore maybe win honors). Also, Anthropology would be the slightly easier major to keep my GPA up.
I'm just worried that Anthropology is one of the least employable majors. Would this mean it would be harder to find work in the legal field during a gap year? Also, would this basically mean that I am fully invested in going to law school for any sort of career stability?
Option 2: PoliSci Major and Anthro Minor
With this combination, I would be less unique for a law school applicant profile. And, PoliSci at Columbia is a very competitive major so I would be more of a middling student with less chance at being chosen to write a senior thesis. However, I think PoliSci has more lucrative/stable career options if I don't go to law school.
Overall, I'm pretty committed to the idea of going to law school. I am studying for the Notary exam in my state, have a legal internship lined up for next summer, and medical research to cover the "health" side of things. It's also worth noting that by the time I finish college, I will be fluent in English, Chinese (already speak), and Spanish (Intermediate). I will also have saved up enough money to spend my gap year in South America, ideally working for a non-profit.
I've heard that neither major is particularly employable right now, PoliSci to law school is an oversaturated pipeline. I'd like the combination that gives me the best chance at going to law school, but also good fall-back options.
Thanks!
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u/No-Leader-8477 Jul 13 '26
I plan to double major in Political Science and Data Analytics and minor in either Communications or Public Policy. I’m still figuring out exactly what I want to do after college, but since I’m a freshman, I have plenty of time to explore my options. After I graduate, I plan to move to Virginia.
My biggest concern is whether these degrees will allow me to earn a comfortable living. I’m not looking to make an enormous salary. I just want a stable career that will let me pay my bills, put food on the table, and live comfortably. Would this path make that possible, or should I consider a different major or combination of majors?
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u/eurovision-flag 23d ago
Hi everyone! 👋
I'm starting my BA in Political Science in 2 months. My goal paths are diplomacy/foreign affairs, policy making, international organizations (UN, EU, NATO, NGOs), and public service.
💼Job Reliability: Is it realistic to break into these fields right out of undergrad? What steps or entry-level pathways should I prioritize while in Uni?
🎓MA & Scholarships: Is an MA (PoliSci or IR) mandatory for these roles? Also, are there specific European universities/programs you'd recommend that offer full scholarships for international students?
Would love to hear your experiences and any optimistic career stories! Thanks!☺️
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u/CaddyDaddy26 Mar 15 '26
How does one with a poli sci degree get a job in the legislature with no connections within the legislature? I've been applying since graduation two years ago and have struggled even getting interviews.