<p>Please clear up any misconceptions I might have because I am very unclear.</p>
<p>International Relations, I feel, narrows way to fast for an undergraduate education. For example, some colleges require you to focus on classes by region (Asia, Africa, the Americas, etc.). </p>
<p>Don't you have to learn the basics first? Isn't that an advantage of Polisci?</p>
<p>So if someone wanted to pursue political science, couldn't they specialize in grad school for international relations?</p>
<p>Of the two, I prefer Poli Sci, because I think it does a better job providing you with real skills - if you take the right coursework.</p>
<p>I majored in Poli Sci and had a concentration in International Relations. If I could do it over, I would have concentrated in Methodology, which is much more useful when working in politics.</p>
<p>I think those regional focuses are stupid and wasteful, stay away from them - waste of coursework.</p>
<p>Can I ask what you want to use the degree for? A political science major will be able to do anything an IR major can do, but that might not be true in reverse - it all depends on how you structure your classes.</p>
<p>The real benefit of Poli Sci is research methods, so take courses in statistics, statistical analysis, polling, survey, database technology, IT, and GIS.</p>
<p>I know that these courses aren’t as interesting as Homeland Security, Terrorism or International Affairs, but trust me, they are 100% more useful.</p>
<p>i agree 100%. i think learning the methods and basics of political science are way more important for an undergraduate education. i could still learn regional information (like comparative governments/different political systems), but i don’t think i should dedicate an entire major to it without the basics first. </p>
<p>after all, how can you compare governments/regions if you can’t even understand your own?</p>
<p>Well, what is it you want to do in your career?</p>
<p>Don’t fall into the trap that the of a Poli Sci degree is just to provide a good understanding of government. That is the very minimum the curriculum should provide, the real “benefit” will be in the skills you acquire to SERVICE government and politics/non-profits.</p>
<p>Government and political jobs are very diverse, and most require the same skill-sets that an employee needs in the private sector, so if the only thing you gain from your degree is an “understanding of government”, your job prospects will be slim.</p>
<p>Figure out what you want to do, then look at the skills needed to do that job and use your coursework to provide those skills.</p>
<p>I did it because at the time I wanted a career in either the military, politics (not as a politician) or government. Poli Sci is a great major for military officers, which is one of the main reasons I chose it. I enjoyed being up-to-date on current affairs and law school was also something I toyed with, so Poli Sci just seemed like a good fit for me.</p>
<p>The problem is that I acheived most of my career goals at an early age (meaning I got jobs I wanted), but found out soon afterwards that they aren’t family oriented (6-8 month deployments, danger, stress on wife) and others weren’t what they were cracked up to be. For example, government - which is the prime example of waste and inefficiency.</p>
<p>Poli Sci can lead to some good careers (depending on your definition), but it is not a major you should pursue if you don’t have a clear understanding what you want to use it for. </p>
<p>Also, it is annoyingly common to here new students say, “I want to major in Poli Sci so I can join the CIA/United Nations.”</p>
<p>Sure, Poli Sci is good for those jobs, but they are difficult to get, and very few ever achieve employment with those organizations. </p>
<p>Internships are important for Poli Sci majors and you should really try to get experience on the hill, as nearly every job listing (non government employee jobs) seems to have it as a prereq.</p>
<p>I’d suggest a double major. Poli Sci pairs well with other more practical majors like Accounting and Finance.</p>
<p>i see. i totally understand what you mean by people saying they want to work for the cia/un/blah blah blah so they think an easy ticket in is a polisci degree.</p>
<p>the military was something i was considering. i applied to the naval academy but didn’t get in, but i’m trying again as a transfer. maybe. idk.</p>
<p>i don’t mean to get in your business but what does an analyst do?</p>
<p>Analyst is a broad term, so it could be anything really.</p>
<p>The federal job code for an Intelligence Analyst is 0132. The intel can be of various forms, but it all involves extracting, organizing and disseminating information.</p>
<p>The intel could be signals, human, geo-spatial and various other forms. Basically, you get an area of expertise (security, human traffic, narcotics, gangs, weapons, a foriegn region, could be ANYTHING) and your job is basically to study it, then pull all the data together and formulate it so others can clearly understand the findings.</p>