Department of Political Science

Career Opportunities

The political science majors prepares students for careers and advanced training in law, political science, government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, and certain occupations within the private sector.  The goal of the Touro Political Science Department is to teach students how to think about politics, and through this to develop their conceptual and verbal skills. This training prepares students for professional and executive positions in a complex political economy, where success (and income) increasingly depends on sophisticated cognitive skills.   

Majors in political science frequently go on to law school. Graduates of Touro's Political Science Department have been accepted at many top law schools, including Yale, Harvard, Columbia, New York University, and Fordham.  The political science offers a curriculum with many of the features that law school admissions officers recommend, such as courses that develop analytical skills, critical reasoning skills, and writing skills. Although the association of American law schools does not cite any particular undergraduate major as a pre- requisite for law school, it emphasizes the importance of taking challenging courses with demanding instructors. This accurately described the Touro Political Science Department.

There are a wide variety of careers open to students who major in political science.

1. Probably the largest source of jobs is in New York City government, which employs over 200,000 people. Political science majors are needed to assist with surveying the needs people have for government services, planning and implementing those policies, and evaluating service delivery. They are also needed for coordinating City policies with the state and federal governments and the numerous contractors who assist with their operations. Political science majors also assist in providing information on government services and responding to the comments and criticisms of the press and public. Political science majors might also work in areas such as city planning, budget analysis and capital planning. New York City is also represented by a large number of city council members, state legislators, and U.S representatives, all of whom need people knowledgeable in politics to assist with research and constituent outreach.
2. State and federal governments also offer many jobs to political scientists, especially departments such as State, Defense, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. Political science majors might be hired as management analysts, policy analysts, program directors, researchers, and contract managers.
3. Another source of jobs is in the not-for-profit sector, both for organizations that specialize in service delivery (job training, housing, educational programming, rehabilitation) as well as those that manage grants for a variety of projects (research foundations, grassroots organizing, community development). Some philanthropic organizations, such as the Ford Foundation and Soros Foundation, employ political scientists.
4. Political science majors also make ideal teachers in such areas as social studies, civics, government, and current history. Many of these subjects are taught at the primary as well as high school level. This is in addition to the political scientists who teach, research, and do public policy analysis at the university level.
5. Political scientists often find employment in international organizations such as the United Nations and development assistance programs, as well as not-for-profit groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
6. Political science majors develop skills that are applicable to a variety of international careers. These range from analyzing country conditions for businesses seeking to expand overseas to coordinating business operations with foreign government officials. Political scientists work at multinational banking and finance institutions, consulting firms, and a variety of multinational corporations.
7. Other areas where the skills of a political science major are helpful are media and journalism, political campaigns and polling, public finance, lobbying, consulting, and editing.
8. Finally, the study of political science provides a good undergraduate background for post-graduate study in public administration/public policy, and international business.