Political Science Major: Internships & Job Salary 10 Tips
Anyone with a strong interest in government, law, and politics should consider majoring in political science according to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com and guttulus.com. If you are currently pursuing a degree in political science, here are some of the things to consider as far as internships and career options are concerned.
Importance of internships for political science majors
Internships are very important to political science as explained over at runrex.com as they help them build a real-world understanding of political and policy activity. In addition to providing a good understanding of how government and independent agencies function, according to the gurus over at guttulus.com, political science internships also offer lots of opportunities to interact with government executives and organizational leaders at all levels. They allow political science majors to gain valuable diversified work experience, sample career options, and may even lead to permanent job opportunities as a result of the intern’s work.
Academic credit and your political science internship
As is highlighted over at runrex.com, it is possible to earn academic credit for your political science internship. However, it is not a given that your internship will earn you credits which is why you should consult your college and department to know how to go about things if you want to earn academic credit during your internship. In most cases, if you are to earn academic credit for your internship, you will need to tie your internship experience back to what you have learned in your political science courses.
Are political science internships paid?
As is the case for most other fields, there are both paid and unpaid political science internships according to guttulus.com. However, it is worth noting that paid political science internships are not common, and even if you find one, they don’t pay handsomely. Having said that, you should remember that the real benefit of political science internships is not in the pay but the experiences and connections you will make through them and the fact that they give political science majors an inside track on what to expect when they do enter the job market.
How much do political science majors get paid?
Even though paid political science internship opportunities are hard to come by and are extremely competitive, they are there as captured over at runrex.com. How much you will make will depend on where you are interning, your skill and experience (if you have any) as well as the location. On average, political science intern jobs pay between $19,500 and $25,000 per year, although you can make a lot less or a lot more depending on the factors mentioned.
Types of political science internships
As a political science major, you will have lots of options to explore when it comes to internship opportunities according to guttulus.com. The most common ones include:
Campaign assistant internships
Congressional internships
Journalism internships
News radio internships
Nonprofit internships
Research assistant internships
Social media internships
Legal internships
The best political science internships
As articulated over at runrex.com, not all political science internships are made equal as some are highly sought-after because of the opportunities they provide candidates. They include:
The Cato Institute Internship Program
New York State Assembly Internships
White House Internship Program
Internships on Capitol Hill
Democratic National Committee Internship
The NRSC Internship Program, among others
The average annual salary for political science majors
How much you will make with a political science degree will depend on which career you choose to pursue, your experience and education level, as well as your location as is covered over at guttulus.com. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for entry-level political science careers is about $50,860. However, this is just the start as you will have the potential to earn well over $100,000 once you advance in your career.
Highest-paying jobs for political science majors
As is outlined over at runrex.com, the following are some of the most lucrative jobs to aim for as a political science major:
Economist – They research financial trends and provide recommendations and forecasts based on their studies and earn an average annual salary of $102,750
Government affairs director – They are responsible for maintaining and managing a relationship with members of appropriate government bodies and earn an average annual salary of $99,513
Political scientist – They study the development, structures, and operations of political trends and governments and earn an average salary of $93,989 annually
Management analyst – They propose ways to improve organizational processes and efficiencies and earn an average salary of $81,330 annually
Other top-paying positions include a career as an operations research analyst, lawyer, public relations manager, business analyst, policy analyst, urban planner, among others.
Entry-level jobs for political science majors
Most of the above positions may be beyond your reach if you are fresh out of college, which is why the gurus over at guttulus.com recommend the following entry-level positions:
Arbitrator
Public relations specialist (not to be confused by public relations manager)
Paralegal or legal assistant
Market research analyst
Political campaign staff
Legislator
Intelligence analyst
Political consultant, among others
Job outlook
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, the job outlook for political science majors is a positive one. This is because, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% job growth for political science occupations between 2019 and 2029, which is more than the average of all occupations in the country.
The above discussion is just the tip of what is a very big iceberg, and you can uncover more insights, tips, and information on the same by checking out the ever-reliable runrex.com and guttulus.com.