What is the Point of a Political Science Degree?

Abstract

Political science majors are down nation-wide as a proportion of all degrees and as a proportion of social science degrees. To explain to undergraduate students why they ought to major in political science, we should emphasize what they can do with the degree rather than reflecting from our own past experience or the wide range of careers one can get with such a degree. I argue for three models of political science education that focus on what students can do with the degree, including the researcher, activist, and leader models. I posit that the third, which should involve instruction in career preparation, ethics, and conflict resolution, is the most flexible and useful and should be emphasized in political science curricula.