“Political science” is generally defined as the study of governments, political processes, and political behavior. It is a branch of social sciences where the study mainly revolves around analyzing, describing and predicting political behavior along with political systems. In fact, the best way to describe it is as a science that revolves more around subjective clarifications than hard data. It is a science that helps a person understand the relationships between other individuals, groups, and the state, along with the working procedure of modern government.
Political science as a discipline is relatively new and in recent years has gained quite a bit of recognition among young students in the United States. It mainly includes various subfields like philosophy and theory of the political system, political economy, policy studies, international relations, and a collection of other related fields. The main objective of political science is to help a student to make a career in politics and to provide him with adequate knowledge of political procedure that could be useful.
Students who pursue a career in this branch of social science are generally called political scientists and can lead to exciting careers in federal, state, and local government; law; business; international organizations and electoral politics.
His job responsibilities revolve primarily around the analysis of different areas of political behavior, including public administration, public opinion, taxes, and voting. Other than this, they usually conduct research on different public issues and political relations and resources. These investigation procedures can be both within the same country and internationally. However, the process of investigation and analysis often includes court rulings, public opinion and decision-making. In addition to this, they also recommend solutions and sometimes conduct research to make better decisions on issues that generally affect citizens, businesses and the environment.
job prospects
The job outlook of this domain actually seems to be very inspiring. In fact, according to the latest study by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for political scientists are expected to grow even more in the coming years. According to some experts, overall employment is also expected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations.
Salary Outlook and Other Benefits
The average income of political scientists depends entirely on their education, experience and geographic position of the organization. The starting salary range for a political scientist averages close to $27,000. However, with experience and higher educational success, earnings can grow even higher to $65,000 or more. Added to this, any graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science can enjoy a decent income and can earn almost $2,500 more per year than the average person who only has a bachelor’s degree. In addition to this, holders of a bachelor’s degree can also enter the workforce as paralegals or administrative assistants. Furthermore, political scientists employed by colleges and universities even have enough opportunities to increase their income by teaching summer courses, writing books, or doing consulting work. They can even enjoy various benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans, paid holidays and vacations, etc. depending on their positions.
Educational qualification required
So at this point, if you want to pursue a career in political science or want to grow as a political scientist, you must have an advanced Ph.D. in political science. If you get a doctorate in political science, you can work as a teacher in colleges and universities. More often than not, these positions lead to important service in schools, communities, and the nation. In addition to these, there are also bachelor’s and master’s programs in political science. While graduate degrees in political science are well respected by all sectors of the workforce, master’s degrees are highly regarded by public and private organizations and by a growing number of numerous non-profit associations.
Today, it is definitely one of the few career options that can provide you with long-term job growth and significant rewards.