What is the best way to use my Political Science degree?
400663
cover up a crack on the wall...but seriously, you could teach.
1131352
In order to do this you need to contact the office of the political representative where you live or perhaps the senators office of your constituency. This is unlike transferring university credits and so I do not think it would be the education board. I think your best bet is to ask your local political representative because the office you will need to contact will be different in different states and since you pay taxes you may as well take advantage of the civil service and ask someone to wade through all the bureaucracy for you. Good luck.
385806
An undergrad in anything, althought a lot of people do think that a major in politics is an asset. Major in what you like, do well, and get a high LSAT score ( above 160), and you'll be set to go.
725870
I am pre-law as well and I am majoring in English, with a minor in History (because that interests me). I plan on becoming a probate attorney and I know that a political science, although popular for pre-law students, is not really looked upon as a wonderful choice. English is a great major to have in my eyes due to the simple fact that you are doing a massive amount of reading, writing and analyzing; all of which you are going to have an abundance of in law school.\n\nAt this point, there is no real needed emphasis on becoming the type of attorney that you want to be. That will come when you are in law school. Yes, you will have required courses, but you will still have a certain level of "electives" where you can take classes that have emphasis on tort law.\n\nGood luck to you and all of your future studies.
1104748
I would start on the local level.  Become involved in local politics and go to board and city council meetings.  Get on a board - easier ones like the Recreation Advisory Board, etc (Planning Commissions are usually entrenched political appointments).\n\nBecome an intern works as well.\n\nGet a degree in history, poly sci, sociology, etc.  More and more people are not voting for lawyers so I personally wouldn't go that route.
1078978
You work your way up though a political party starting at the local level.  It'll take years of thankless unpaid volunteer work.  Be a good student and get an advanced degree (law is a good specialty).  Work on public speaking and communication skills.  It also helps to develop an interest that can be your special area of expertise when serving the public.\n\nAfter you've worked on a few campaigns and are known, trusted and accepted by local party insiders, you may snag a lowly staffer position.\n\nWhew...that's the first ten years and you haven't even run for town council yet!\n\nAnyway, that's the way it usually works to get to the top in any field.  Lot's of grass roots experience, passion and determination coupled with a good education, some genuine skill for the task at hand and a few lucky breaks thrown in!\n\nOh yeah...and don't forget to keep your nose clean at all times...NO skeletons in the closet!
11977
Hold your horses there, Law school is grad school, unless you're in Canada, where you can obtain a Bachelors of law, you need to finish 4 whole years of college doing something ELSE (usually political science, journalism, something related to law, but that is in no way required), before you do another 4 years of law school. Some colleges let you do coursework over the summer for credit, but it usually pays to wait it out and go with the expected flow. Do your best in high school, get into a good college and follow their pre-law or political science program (I'm polisci myself, going to go to law school in 2010) then apply to good law schools, like Harvard or Yale, or if you can't cut that, UCONN law is great.\n\nGood luck.
437978
I took the political science path, it helps you get into the debating mind set.  You have to be able to develop and support your ideas in law school which is what political science courses allow you to do.  The only reason you would want to deal with criminal justice is if you are wanting to be involved in the criminal justice system which I would not recommend.  Do political science and take elective courses that are geared towards the area of law you are interested in (business, corporate, real estate, contract...whatever)  You need to learn how those systems operate also in order to completely understand the whole system and not just the law side of it....then again I am an over-achiever so it really just depends on how good of a lawyer you want to be.
943497
You have to go to four years of college, major in anything but political science is good, then pass a law school entrance exam, get accepted into a law school which takes three years to complete, then sit for the bar, which means you have to pass the bar exam.  After you pass the bar, you get sworn in and you are then a lawyer.\nYou have to pass the bar for each state that you want to practice.
324766
I dont think Diplomacy is a degree, I think what you are looking for may be Political Science, or some sort of international relations degree, you can major in political science just about anywhere, international relations degrees are a little harder to find, its best just to find a schools website and see if they offer it.
1013908
well, though i haven't been involved in the field directly, i have taken courses in public affairs and policy management.  these courses are a lot of work, but if you're into developing strategies, investigating role players, and researching trends; it could be the kind of thing you would like.  i probably would have enjoyed my class more with a better professor, if that helps.  i saw you said you would be ok as long as you weren't given too much of it.  public affairs and policy is probably going to test your limits of "too much", but you seem like somebody that would enjoy working in this field.  It can be challenging and fun if you want it to be, but boring if you really aren't into it.  I hope that helped you out...good luck!
649503
Most of our politicians are lawyers. Study history and political science, sociology and communication skills as an undergrad. Then go to law school. Then work for a Senator,  Congressman or Supreme Court Justice and/or get hired onto an election campaign or two. Then run for office in your city or state.
1118424
Join your local political party of choice, volunteer for a good few years, door knocking, talking to people, campaigning, getting known in your community. Then, ideally volunteer in an MP's office to see if you will like the job. Then work your way up, get some elected positions under your belt at local level...maybe become a local councillor. Attend lots of local-level party meetings and try and change things from the inside. Then eventually stand for a reasonably safe seat in your (ideally local) constituency, and hope for the best. Et viola!
963695
Here is what a couple of my friends said\n1) one of the best programs in the nation for political science is Wellesley College. It's the best for liberal arts colleges and universities from my knowledge. I think Yale has a comparable program.\n2) Michigan State's James Madison is an excellent small liberal arts college within one of the largest universities in the country. I would definetly recommend anyone interested in political science to consider Michigan State's James Madison. \n3) georgetown\n4) schools on west coast that have good politcal science programs: \n\nStanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Scripps College \n5) George Washington University - home of Crossfire on CNN, and adjunct profs who double as commentators on CNN and MSNBC. Incredibe opportunities to intern in DC at numerous government agencies. \n6) Spartan - Are you sure about Harvey Mudd? I thought they were primarily a science, engineering, and math college. I checked their website and the only majors listed were math, science, and engineering. They do have a department of humanities and social sciences but no professors of political science. They may have some good courses in areas related to political science but it appears that all of the social science courses are designed to provide a well-rounded education to engineering-science majors. \n7) Harvey Mudd is mostly science. Also, American is crap. Besides the fact that it is in DC, it has nothing going for it. George Washington is better, and Georgetown better still. Personally I think that Georgetown is probably the best school in the country for political science because it has an excellent program (it's called "government" instead of "political science" at Georgetown) AND it's in DC. If you want to study poli sci on a more theoretical or international level (in other words, if experience in Washington isn't that important for you) then obviously schools like Princeton or Stanford would be best. \n\nHope this helps!! Sorry.
629975
Political Science and Economics
399449
Nothing...you can't do anything practical with your degree because it is too vague, and you don't have enough experience.  \n\nDo one of three things:\n\n1. Go to grad school\n2. Intern/Volunteer where you think you could use your degree\n3. Get a job doing something completely unrelated
1167164
It really depends on what you want to do, but the majority of people do government work.  Security and intelligence would probably be a good choice in this day and age.  I did my BA in International Studies (I started at OSU, too!), with an area studies concentration in Western Europe, and I wanted to work for an NGO like the UN or WHO.  I changed my mind by the time I graduated, but I loved Int'l Studies, and the home exchange I did (Sweden) was a life changing experience.  I can tell you that most of the people from my program (I graduated from BGSU) went to work for the US State Dept., Washington think-tanks, or went on to grad/professional schools, most often law school.  \n\nAs for what I've done with my Int'l Studies degree, I did use my degree for a time as an internship coordinator at a university, where I found internships for undergrads in int'l nonprofit organizations.  This fall I am going to start my doctorate in sociology, and I hope to do my research in Europe, so, all told, I'll be using it after all!\n\nBest of luck to you!