Political Scientists
What they do:
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.
On the job, you would:
- Teach political science.
- Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
- Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
Knowledge
Safety and Government
- law and government
Arts and Humanities
- English language
- history and archeology
Education and Training
- teaching and course design
Math and Science
- arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Skills
Basic Skills
- reading work related information
- figuring out how to use new ideas or things
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
- thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
- measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
Abilities
Verbal
- read and understand what is written
- communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
- use rules to solve problems
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Analytical Thinking
- Achievement/Effort
- Initiative
- Persistence
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Analytical or scientific software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- SAS
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Information retrieval or search software
- EBSCO Publishing Political Science Complete
- Sage Reference Online
Education
Education: (rated 5 of 5)
doctoral degree
usually needed
usually needed
Get started on your career:
Find Training
Apprenticeship.gov
Job Outlook
Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
Explore More
- Economists
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary
- Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary
- Sociologists
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about political scientists.