Hello,
I’m considering majoring in Poli Sci at my university, because I want to avoid majoring in Business Management, a degree I feel most people just opt for because they don’t know what they want to do (not judging). Do you think majoring in Poli Sci is a good preparation for future potential career in law, consulting, HR, marketing, and/or PR?
Yes and No, First off there is a lot of the same stigma about Poli Sci being a Idk what I want to do degree as Business.
That said Political Science is good preparation for what you are wanting.
I am aiming for much of the job opportunities you are and am pairing Political Science with Speech Communications (More Insurance for a possible PR Job)
@Sethm2015, thanks for your response. Are you pursuing a concentration in PS (Like American poiticis, international relations, etc)?
Politics *
@happilygilmor I have only completed a year so far of credits so currently I have not but I don’t really have any recommendations for what to pick as i am a bit confused with the choice myself
American politics is the most general and so may be a bit tough in the job market without the proper contacts
IR/Comparative is harder since it requires either a knowledge of a foreign language or culture, but one should be able to have less competition in a job market.
Political theory is also sort of tough to market outside of academia, but one of the more interesting in my opinion.
Of course with some colleges you can design your own concentrations with approval (I.E Human rights, Media and Social Politics, Political Scandals and Crime, Developing Politics)
I guess it truly depends on if you value job prospects or personal interest more, for me they are all interesting but I would probably enjoy making my own concentration, but to each his own!
It depends greatly on your school.
Honestly, parlaying a liberal arts degree into a good job is a lot easier at top-ranked schools, and even then you really have to keep your GPA up and hustle for internships.
How serious is your interest in consulting?
@NavalTradition, I’ll be attending Columbia GS in the fall. I don’t know much about consulting, but it is appealing to me as it lies in the realm of business and working with people. I plan to intern a lot while I’m studying so I can build networks for job opportunities post-graduation.
@Sethm2015, thanks for your input. I need to do some thinking about the major and if it is right for me. So far, it does seem like the best choice because it can translate into the business world.
Note that business management is a concentration (i.e. a minor) at Columbia GS. So if, your sophomore or junior year, you decide you want that on your degree in addition to poli sci, it’s doable. Many of the prereqs and electives are things you might end up taking as a poli sci major anyway (e.g. statistics, social psychology).
I don’t know much about consulting so I can’t be of much help there. Good luck.
@NavalTradition: Thanks for replying. Yes, I’m aware that business management is a concentration and I hope to minor in it my junior year. I’m coming into GS with 36 credits from a Social & Behavioral Science associate’s degree, so hopefully that will help me knock out some of my gen eds.
It will but there are some Core courses that you will probably still have to take - Art Humanities, Music Humanities, 1-2 Global Core classes, and University Writing at the least. GS lets you substitute other courses for Lit Hum, CC and Frontiers of Science, but students often don’t have good substitutes for the above classes I listed.
That said, sure, lots of people go from a major in political science into business and then perhaps an MBA.