Career Information for Political Science Majors

It is important to understand that employers hire people, not degrees. The skills and knowledge you develop as a result of your education, as well as in your work and community activities, have the greatest impact on hiring decisions. Listed below are some key skills and knowledge you will acquire as a result of your university education and your focus on Political Science.

Specific Knowledge Skills
Valuable Transferable Skills
Career Options for Political Science Majors
Potential Employers
Websites

Specific Knowledge Skills

• Understanding of the origin, development and operation of various political systems
• Knowledge of the factors that influence and change public opinion
• Ability to critically evaluate the arguments of others and debate effectively
• Understanding of the interrelationship of politics, the economy and geography
• Understanding of policies and strategies of resource allocation among competing groups
• Global viewpoint of leadership principles and social, cultural and political issues
• Ability to perform comparative and critical analyses
• Familiarity with the policy-making process and the relevance of legislation

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Valuable Transferable Skills

Information-gathering and Communication Skills

• The skills required to identify and access a wide range of relevant information and resources
• The ability to compile and organize facts and information and to comprehend and apply new and/or unfamiliar information to different situations and settings
• Skills in preparing interesting, creative and informative presentations which target diverse audiences
• The ability to develop effective reports, presentations and materials using current technology

Thinking, Planning and Organizational Skills

• The ability to learn, understand and interpret information and apply knowledge to new situations
• The ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and effectively plan/manage time, data and resources
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to make well-reasoned decisions, think creatively and search for, identify and consider all sides of an issue
• Skills to effectively analyze and interpret a wide range of information and data to discuss, support and/or reject ideas, opinions, reports, theories and proposals

Teamwork and Management Skills

• Skills enabling you to work effectively as part of a team by identifying your role and contributing, through leading, teaching, motivating and/or encouraging others, to the success of the team
• An understanding of how to successfully identify, plan and contribute to the goals of a project
• The ability to oversee, supervise and/or contribute to a project from beginning to end including determining outcomes, planning details, making decisions, assigning roles and
  completing tasks

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 Career Options for Political Science Majors

(Additional education, training or experience may be required)

For more career options and job descriptions, visit the following sites:

Career Cruising - www.careercruising.com. Please contact the Career Centre at 519.884.0710 ext. 4495 or careercentre@wlu.ca for the username and password.
Career Insider (Vault) - Access through the library website at www.wlu.ca/library. Click 'Find Articles and More', click 'Databases by Title (A-Z)' and then 'C' - Career Insider (Vault). You need to access this resource from a Laurier computer or through the library's remote access service.
National Occupational Classification - www.hrsdc.gc.ca/noc  

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 Potential Employers

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Websites

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