Career profile Political Scientist

Table of Contents

• What does a Political Scientist do?
• What is a typical salary for a Political Scientist?
• What personality traits are common among Political Scientists?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Political Scientists need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Political Scientist do?

Political Scientists study the origin, development, and operation of political systems.

In addition, Political Scientists

• 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.

What kind of tasks does a Political Scientist perform regularly?

Political Scientists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.
• Teach political science.
• Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
• Identify issues for research and analysis.
• Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.
• Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
• Provide media commentary or criticism related to public policy and political issues and events.
• Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations.

The above responsibilities are specific to Political Scientists. More generally, Political Scientists are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Political Scientist salary?

What personality traits are common among Political Scientists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Political Scientist are usually higher in their Investigative, Artistic, and Social interests.

Political Scientists typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Political Scientists typically have strong Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Lastly, Political Scientists typically have moderate Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Political Scientist tend to value Achievement, Working Conditions, and Recognition.

Most importantly, Political Scientists strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Political Scientists strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Political Scientists strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Political Scientists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as analytical thinking, achievement/effort, and independence.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Political Scientists, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Political Scientists need?

Many Political Scientists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Political Scientists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Political Scientists

• 0.7% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 1.5% completed high school or secondary school
• 6.0% completed some college coursework
• 4.0% earned a Associate's degree
• 32.8% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 38.8% earned a Master's degree
• 16.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Political Scientists

Important Abilities needed by Political Scientists

Political Scientists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Political Scientists need abilities such as written comprehension, oral expression, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Political Scientists, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Political Scientists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Political Scientists frequently use skills like reading comprehension, speaking, and active listening to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Political Scientists, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.