Government
Politics
Political Science
American Politics
I wonder what are the pros and cons of going for each of these majors. What are the main differences, which one has wider career opportunity, which one is more respected? Is there a difference based on career opportunities? Thanks.
It varies quite a bit depending on the school. I imagine that any given school will only offer one or two of those, so they may be largely the same.
The heart of all of them is the ability to read and analyze and write. That can be obtained in other majors as well. If you see yourself in public service one day, you can study philosophy, history, economics, STEM, statistics, business etc. Many disciplines will prepare you to communicate and synthesize information.
Almost no one is going to parse the difference between those majors when you apply for job in the political sphere or if you eventually apply to law school (a common path). As @T26E4 says, develop your skills to read, analyze, and write. Get experience working on campaigns (for specific candidates or for ballot measures) and in internships at your state government level or in DC (you can work for a specific politician’s office, or you can work for a government department of some kind).
well I know that American politics vs Political science is that in Political Science you can concentrate on International Relations
Political Science is more common. From Political Science, you have a broad range of career opportunities (business, law, government, writing, teaching etc.) Government and Politics may be a little less broad but ultimately lead to the same career goals and prospects. Rarely do I see an American Politics major.
Check Princeton Review or Big Future to see what each individual major is like and also check the catalogs of each school you’re looking at to see what types of courses are involved.