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Other Political Science & Government

Types of Degrees Other Political Science & Government Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Other Political Science & Government may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	12
Bachelor’s Degree	814
Master’s Degree	183
Doctor’s Degree	22

What Other Political Science & Government Majors Need to Know

Programs in Other Political Science & Government emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other Political Science & Government graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Other Political Science & Government emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Other Political Science & Government program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Other Political Science & Government careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Political Science & Government graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Political Science & Government professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	—
WinBUGS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Political Science & Government graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Government Instructor
• Public Administration Teacher
• Political Theory Professor
• Political Science Instructor
• Political Science Professor
• Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Political Science Faculty Member
• Government Teacher
• Geopolitics Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Public Administration Professor
• Professor
• Government Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other Political Science & Government graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	48.8%
Bachelor’s degree	32.9%
Master’s degree	5.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.3%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
Some college courses	1.2%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Political Science & Government?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.9% women and 46.1% men among Other Political Science & Government graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	556	53.9%
Men	475	46.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other Political Science & Government graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	550	53.3%
Asian	84	8.1%
Hispanic or Latino	168	16.3%
Black or African American	78	7.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.4%
Two or More Races	69	6.7%
Race Unknown	20	1.9%
International Students	55	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Political Science & Government Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other Political Science & Government graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,510
4 years	$55,642
5 years	$66,446

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,446 — roughly 73% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Other Political Science & Government Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Other Political Science & Government. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	3	3
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Other Political Science & Government Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Political Science & Government graduates earn a median of $55,642 four years after completion — roughly 46% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Political Science and Government	45.10
American Government and Politics (United States)	45.1002
Canadian Government and Politics	45.1003
Political Economy	45.1004
Political Science and Government, General	45.1001
International Relations and Affairs	45.0901
International Relations and National Security Studies, Other	45.0999
National Security Policy Studies	45.0902
Economics, General	45.0601

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.