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The political science program at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is a four-year degree program leading to the degree Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. It provides the opportunity for students to concentrate on political science as an object of interest and study, and to prepare for any of a fairly large number of interesting careers. Its primary focus is providing students with analytical thinking, reading and writing skills to understand and participate in the public realm – in a private, professional, or public capacity. As a discipline, Political Science is conventionally divided into four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Philosophy, International Relations and Public Policy. Each of these subfields contains many areas of study. Pitt-Johnstown offers course work in American politics, particularly Congress, Presidency and constitutional law, politics in industrialized and developing countries, international relations, international organizations, and American foreign policy, as well as advanced courses on selected countries or areas of the world. Additionally, students may enter our interdisciplinary certificate program in International Studies which is highly complementary to the major.
The political science program is designed to develop strong interpretive, evaluative and analytical skills in the realm of public policy and political institutions, to provide a broad 'generalist' background in the social sciences, to offer the opportunity to combine policy-oriented political science course work with technical skill areas (such as those found in economics), and to prepare students for employment in the public or private sector or continued study in professional areas such as law, public administration, legislative analysis, social service, urban planning, international studies, foreign service, international management, international trade, international communications, and international business. As part of an interdisciplinary program in the social sciences, the political science major allows students to develop analytical perspectives in other social sciences as well, and many students choose to complete a double major (such as political science and history, or political science and business).
It should be recognized that students who express an interest in political science are mostly intrigued by aspects of American politics, policy, or processes, including the U.S. as an international actor and the increasing interdependence of all countries. Such a curiosity may have been encouraged by a course or two in a student's high school curriculum, or parents who are actively interested in politics or political issues. But in general, a curiosity about politics is one that the student has developed on his/her own over the years prior to coming to college.
General Career Opportunities
It is important that you realize that when you graduate from college and actively pursue a career, whatever your undergraduate major, you will have two marketable commodities -- your academic major and your general skills. The two must be considered separately and you should not think that your choice of major will guarantee career opportunities. You should think more in terms of a combination or a balance between your major as subject matter and your general skills as your calling card. You should recognize that your general level of skills defines your range of long-term career opportunities. These can be broadly defined along a spectrum ranging from the more technical skills offered at the undergraduate level, such as engineering, accounting, elementary education and so forth, to the more general skills developed within a liberal arts curriculum, such as communicative and analytical skills, adaptability, and interpersonal relations. Getting along with different people and being able to communicate ideas clearly and concisely are widely marketable skills and certainly not to be scoffed at. Moreover, even if you have acquired some general technical skills during your undergraduate career, you should expect that many of your career skills will be acquired on-the-job through your work experience. It is very important that students majoring in political science realize they are not learning a specific or technical skill but rather are acquiring analytical tools and general background.
There is a wide range of career opportunities in both the public and private sectors for undergraduates who concentrate on developing both general and specific skills. You can develop both types of skills during the course of your undergraduate career by taking course work in your major area (political science, supplemented by other social sciences and methods of quantitative analysis) and in areas of skill development (writing skills, public speaking, communication, accounting, data processing, etc.). It is important however that you balance your undergraduate program between general and specific skills, since your career opportunities depend on both. Students who concentrate only on acquiring a specific skill which is marketable today do not allow themselves any flexibility career-wise when that skill is no longer marketable five years from now. One of the great advantages of a general liberal arts program is that it allows you to develop both general background and specific skills. And while specific skills are important to your short-run career opportunities, it is your general background and general skills which allow you to maximize your career flexibility later on in life.
Employment After Graduation with a Bachelor’s Degree
An undergraduate major in political science equips you with general background and general skills rather than specific skills. Most career opportunities open to political science graduates are based on the development of these general skills. Public agencies and many private corporations emphasize the need for individuals with a "generalist" orientation to their undergraduate program, adaptability, and trainability. They do not, on the whole, look for individuals whose undergraduate program was heavily concentrated in political science courses; rather, they are looking for individuals with a fairly broad undergraduate background. Double majors would be particularly advisable, in that such a profile reflects depth of study in two fields. Other general skills should be developed outside the undergraduate major, including a facility with the English language, both written and oral. A one or two-semester freshman sequence in English composition would not be sufficient to develop this type of facility. You are encouraged to develop extensive writing and communication skills during your undergraduate career, while you have the opportunity.
Also, most public agencies look for some background in a specific technical skill in their administrative recruits, particularly accounting or computer applications. We strongly suggest that you take at least one course in either accounting or data processing so that you will understand their usefulness in the administrative process. As we stated above, the specific skills which you will be called upon to use in an administrative career will be mostly acquired during on-the-job training. An introductory familiarity with a technical skill should enhance your marketability for administrative positions. Finally, in a largely interdependent world, a familiarity with and ability to interact in different cultures is a highly desirable background; and students are strongly urged to build a study-abroad experience into their undergraduate careers. While one can certainly study politics abroad, students need not confine their study options to their own major – in fact, some of the most interesting study abroad opportunities may be in languages and the humanities, and still be appropriate for students in political science.
Career directions open to majors in political science in all levels of public service. Trainee programs are available at both the state and federal levels of government for holders of an undergraduate degree, solid social science background, and some level of technical skill. Entrance into these programs is usually by examination administered periodically by state or federal civil service personnel. Since processing of examination scores and personnel applications takes a long time, you are encouraged to take the civil service examination (at whichever level you desire) during the fall semester of your senior year. Career opportunities at the regional or local levels generally do not have a set civil service procedure for entrance and recruitment is done on a more informal basis. Application is usually made directly to the office of the public agency you are interested in, and canvassing for opportunities should also begin early in your senior year in order to maximize your chances and your options.
Since an undergraduate degree in political science signifies a general, broad training rather than training in a specific skill, you should consider your opportunities in terms of career directions (what type of work would you like to get into) rather than in terms of specific employment (what specific job is open when you need one). This forces you to make some basic decisions about what types of career fields you would like to get into and to spend much time investigating employment opportunities within the career direction that you choose. The student who waits until after graduation to "look for a job" is bound to come up with something less than optimal. Planning a career direction begins with the construction of a good undergraduate program tailored to particular career interests, demonstrating a high level of performance in that curricula (solid grades), and continues through a thorough canvassing of the actual career opportunities available early in your senior year.
Career Directions Requiring Further Education
Graduate education should be viewed as an opportunity to increase the level of your general and specific skills. Traditionally, graduate education leads you in one of two career directions -- college teaching or professional work. These should be and often are considered as separate career direction options.
Graduate education in specific disciplines, such as political science or history, leads to degrees on the MA and PhD levels, involving an intensified education in the general background and skills within a narrow field of study. Employment opportunities for students holding a Masters degree in a social science field are mixed. In order to be marketable in college teaching, you must expand your graduate education to the doctoral level. Furthermore, the past ten years have shown that PhDs in political science who emphasize either American government, public administration or international areas (such as national security studies) are in somewhat greater demand than those in the more specialized areas of political science.
An undergraduate degree in political science provides students with a primary inroad into several types of graduate programs leading to professional degrees, such as in law and public administration, which extend 2-3 years beyond the Bachelor of Arts degree. Professional (as opposed to academic) degrees can be viewed as increasing one's level of specific skills. Recognizing this and the specialized nature of the training they offer, professional post-graduate programs prefer to recruit students into their programs with broad undergraduate backgrounds, particularly in the social sciences. For example:
Law School
To be seriously considered for admission into a law school you should have at least a QPA of 3.40 overall and perhaps higher in your major. These are minimal figures. Furthermore, law schools require that you complete the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), usually in the summer prior to your senior year. Therefore, a decision on whether you are interested in law school is one which should be considered seriously during your junior year. Most application and testing procedures take place early in the senior year and you have to anticipate this. Moreover, if you want to apply for financial aid, deadlines are considerably earlier. In most cases, you should not expect an answer from law schools concerning admission until March of your senior year.
You should also be cautious about rumors concerning the "best" ways of gaining admission to law school. Foremost, you should know that Pitt-Johnstown graduates over the past 20 years have gained admission to the finest law programs in the region (Pittsburgh, Duquesne, Dickinson) and some of the finest in the country (Harvard, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Cornell, Columbia, Michigan, Northeastern, and Notre Dame). Therefore, Pitt-Johnstown graduates are not disadvantaged in their application by the fact they graduated from our college as opposed to some other college or university.
The key to law school admission is the construction of a solid undergraduate performance and the development of solid analytical and communication skills, which will in turn be reflected in your grades and your LSAT scores. Equally important, you should keep in mind that good grades in and of themselves do not give any explicit guarantee that solid LSAT scores will result. It is the dimension, scope and breadth of the courses you undertake which prepare you for the LSAT exam. Moreover, you should understand that other credentials in the application process (letters of recommendation, school activities, etc.) are important, but not as substitutes for decent grades and LSAT scores.
For more, see the companion online brochure Prelaw at Pitt-Johnstown.
Graduate School in Political Science, International Affairs or Public Administration/Policy
Admission to the more highly ranked graduate programs is very competitive, especially if you seek financial aid such as fellowship or scholarship aid. As a rule of thumb, you should have at least a 3.5 GPA overall, perhaps higher in your major. For many of these programs, a solid capability in a foreign language and in statistics/quantitative methods is required. A strong background in economics is strongly advised for programs in public administration and international relations.
Many graduate programs require applicants to complete at least the morning portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GREs), and some require the specialty examinations in the afternoon as well. Because deadlines for application and financial aid are often between January 15 and February 1 for most schools, you should plan to complete your GREs in the fall of your senior year. If you register for later (e.g. January or February) exams, you will likely miss out on any financial aid you may otherwise be qualified for.
Political science and other social science majors from Pitt-Johnstown have been very successful in gaining admission to some of the finest graduate programs in the country, and many have secured fellowship aid in the process. The key to such success is however an early (i.e. the summer between your junior and senior year) screening of graduate program options, solid performance on the GRE examinations, and a careful and timely (i.e. by January 1st) application to the program(s). Securing admission to an excellent graduate program takes planning and foresight, and you should begin the considering of your plans in your junior year.
Advanced Academic Study for Specific Career Directions
Political Science
Students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in political science have many options. While many colleges and universities have masters-level graduate work in political science, we recommend you consider programs with a fully developed graduate faculty, i.e. programs which offer the PhD degree as well. Beyond that, consider what concentrations or focuses you are interested in studying: American government and politics, political philosophy, public law, comparative politics, area or country studies, international relations, American foreign policy, etc., and determine which graduate programs offer significant course work in those areas. Recognize however that for any reasonable Masters degree program, you will be required to take comprehensive exams in three fields (including American Politics) rather than just the field of your interest. Also, most programs require foreign language proficiency and course work in quantitative methods/statistics. For admission, any undergraduate major is acceptable, but all programs require applicants to take the GRE exams, and several require the afternoon subject exam as well. Interested students should discuss this option with any member of the political science faculty.
International Affairs
Virtually every unit of the Federal government has an international component. The work of the Department of Agriculture, for example, is significantly affected by the fact that one of every three acres of farmland in this country is plowed for export; the Department of Labor by the fact that one of every six U.S. workers is in a job directly related to foreign trade; the Commerce Department by the fact that 25% of each new investment dollar is overseas. Additionally, students with an international competence find highly satisfying employment in a growing number of private interest groups, national and international service agencies, and in journalism and international business. A political science undergraduate major (perhaps with additional work in history, foreign language, economics or international studies) will provide excellent preparation for one of these careers or for entry into such marketable graduate degree programs as those offered by Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, American University's School of International Service, or Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Interested students can discuss these options with Dr. Cook, Pitt-Johnstown’s Director of International Studies.
Law
Graduate study in law requires the development of evaluative and analytical skills, largely acquired thorough intensive reading and exercises in oral and written communication. Undergraduates interested in a pre-law program should familiarize themselves with the Prelaw at Pitt-Johnstown available online under ‘Academics” on the Pitt-Johnstown website. Dr. Alexander of the Political Science Department is the Pitt-Johnstown pre-law advisor.
Public Administration/Policy Studies
Students interested in public sector management and/or public policy analysis should build into their undergraduate program courses in economics, mathematics, statistics, and accounting and/or data base management. These types of courses will provide invaluable background for much of the policy analysis component of graduate study in public administration. Graduate study leading to careers in this area includes a Masters degree in public policy or public administration, mostly two-year programs and, at the highest reputation schools, very competitive. It is important to remember that analytical skill in reading and communication is the primary background for graduate study in this area. Interested students should discuss this option with Dr. Alexander of the Political Science Department, who holds a graduate degree in public administration.
Urban and Regional Planning
The same kinds of background courses appropriate to public administration will serve the needs of students interested in graduate study in urban or regional planning. In addition, there exists at Pitt-Johnstown a significant opportunity to build into an undergraduate program a minor concentration in urban geography, cartography, GIS, urban and regional economics, community analysis, regional analysis, and land use planning. Interested students should discuss this option with Dr. Ola Johansson in the Geography Department.
Social Service/Social Work
Several students in past years have constructed their political science major in such a manner as to gain employment in a social service agency immediately upon graduation, or to enter a graduate program to seek a Masters in Social Work (MSW). Their programs have included a parallel concentration to sociology (some have double-majored in political science and sociology) and a minor concentration in psychology (development, child psychology, personality and adjustment, psychopathology, psychology of aging, etc.). The psychology component is usually tailored to the type of social service the student is interested in, such as working with the mentally retarded, the physically handicapped, the elderly, the mentally retarded, the physically handicapped, the elderly, children, juvenile delinquents, and parolees. Interested students should discuss this option with Dr. Kleinstuber of the Criminology Department, and appropriate members of the Psychology faculty.
Policy/Decision Analysis
Adaptable to employment in the private or public sector, a program background in this area combines analytical skills with the applied mathematics, including operations research, systems analysis, and information science. The undergraduate program might include a minor concentration in mathematics, statistics, and computer science/programming or information systems. Career in policy fields would require graduate training in the policy or decision area of student's interest. Interested students should consider discussing career directions in this area with a faculty member in the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. The prototype of such programs is offered by Carnegie-Mellon University, one of the finest graduate programs in the country in this field. Students interested in policy studies opportunities in environmental fields (public or private sector) should consider merging their study of political science with the course work (or a double-major) in the Environmental Studies program at Pitt-Johnstown.
Business Administration
Undergraduate programs in any of the social sciences are easily adaptable for admission into a MBA program, if the student takes care to include in his course work a solid background in macro- and microeconomics, business statistics, business information systems, and writing/communications skills. Students would be well advised to also include courses in accounting and perhaps advanced computer applications. All of these courses can be easily accommodated in an undergraduate program that majors in political science. You should recognize however that students rarely enter an MBA program directly from their undergraduate career – they usually have to have completed 2-4 years of full time employment before making application. Interested students should discuss this option with appropriate faculty members of the Business Department.
Criminal Justice/Criminology
This is a new major at Pitt-Johnstown and very popular among students seeking practical applications and careers in criminal justice and related fields. Interested students should discuss this field and its career options with Dr. Kleinstuber.
Some Final Considerations
Over the past 25 years, close to two-thirds of the political science graduates from Pitt-Johnstown have continued on to graduate study in one (or more) of the fields described in this brochure. While law schools have captured the majority share, in recent years many political science graduates have chosen to move into careers in social work, industrial relations, international relations, public administration, and policy studies. Several have chosen to take a fifth "professional year" of study in education to gain secondary social studies certification so they could teach. Thirteen have completed their PhDs - ten of them are currently teaching at the college level and three in professional positions (one with the federal government and one with a national security think tank). Graduates are also progressively considering graduate study opportunities abroad as well – one, for example, completed her MA in Strategic Studies at the University of Aberdeen and works in the intelligence field.
It should be mentioned that most of these Pitt-Johnstown political science graduate moved to graduate study immediately upon completion of their undergraduate studies. However, some chose to work several years before deciding to pursue graduate study. In some cases, that "time off" can help a student to sharpen his/her focus on the type of field in which graduate study might be appropriate. In other cases, a student was simply broke and needed some time to rebuild his/her finances before considering graduate school.
Graduate study in all of the areas described above requires significant personal commitment, not the least of which is an academic commitment to at least 2-3 years of additional, full-time course work. In addition, graduate study is available from a large number of colleges and universities of varying levels of academic rigor and financial expense. Don't be fooled -- graduate study is expensive. While scholarship aid is sometimes available for the highly qualified applicant, if you will only consider graduate study on the condition that someone else pays the tab, that indicates a certain level of "softness" in your commitment. Many people have paid their own way through graduate programs by working part-time and lived to tell about it! Many of the faculty at Pitt-Johnstown completed graduate study in this manner. Finally, many specialized and attractive graduate programs are located a good distance from Johnstown, or your home town, or where your boyfriend/girlfriend may be located. Narrowing your location preferences for "social" reasons may well narrow your chances for admission to the program of your academic/professional choice, something you should seriously consider.
A profile of Pitt-Johnstown political science graduates is given by the table below and the representative listing that follows it:
Careers of a Sampling of Pitt-Johnstown Political Science Graduates:
Medical malpractice and health law attorney (VA)
IT Project Coordinator (TN)
Professor of Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University
Song writer and performer (PA)
Technical research analyst, financial investment corporation (PA)
Domestic relations attorney (OH)
Intelligence Analyst, National Drug Intelligence Center (PA)
Secondary Social Studies teacher (PA)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (DC)
Planning and Development Officer, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Senior accountant, public accounting firm (VA)
Hearing officer, County Adult Probation Office (PA)
Unit manager, Gertrude Barber Center, Erie PA
Bartender, Philadelphia
Public Counsel, Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission, Harrisburg
Senior vice president and trust officer, local bank in PA
Public attorney and master of the county juvenile court (PA)
Assistant District Attorney, Allegheny County PA
School district counselor and family psychologist (PA)
Attorney, marriage, family and child counseling clinic (CA)
Management analyst, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Employment compensation attorney, Philadelphia
Human resource manager, Pennsylvania Air National Guard
Professional City Manager (PA)
Resource management director, U.S. Department of the Navy (DC)
Attorney in private practice (PA)
Vice President and corporate counsel, national insurance company (OH)
Intelligence analyst, National Security Agency (DC)
Assistant Professor of Political Science at a liberal arts college (TX)
Export compliance manager, international exporting firm (VA)
Bilingual pharmacy services representative (PA)
Paralegal in property management, Pittsburgh
Program analyst, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
Pennsylvania State Senator, Harrisburg (PA)
Management analyst, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Department of Energy (DC)
Statistician, local consulting form executing national defense contracts (PA)
Chemical Review Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
Career officer, U.S. Army (VA)
Professor of Political Science, Towson University (NJ)
Regional medical center director (TN)
Regional office staff, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (PA)
President Judge, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
Legislative analyst, Office of Management and Budget (DC)
Doctoral candidate, political science, SUNY/Albany
Government Relations, AirBus (DC)
Government affairs specialist, policy consulting firm, Harrisburg
Embassy economic affairs staff, The Netherlands (DC)
Clerk of the U.S. District Bankruptcy Court (PA)
Vice President at a nationally ranked college of music (MA)
Marketing director, local chamber of commerce (PA)
State trooper, Pennsylvania State Police
Youth director, First Presbyterian Church (PA)
Vice President of a real estate development corporation (PA)
Foreign affairs officer, Russian Desk, U.S. Department of State (DC)
Attorney, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (DC)
Senior vice president, Wachovia Securities (NJ)
Professor of International Relations at a liberal arts college (GA)
Corporation counsel, New York City
Local newspaper staff writer (PA)
Claims authorizer, Social Security Administration (PA)
PGA professional and club general manager (PA)
Director of county economic development corporation (PA)
Senior counterintelligence analyst
Human resource manager, CIA (DC)
Drug Enforcement Administration (VA)
County public defender (PA)
Analyst, national security consulting firm (DC)
Teacher of English as Foreign Language, Germany
Many students take advantage of real-world opportunities to gain experience and skills necessary for a successful career in the field. Students may be recognized by Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society ».