Prospective Political Science Students

Graduates with degrees in political science and international relations pursue a variety of careers. Some pursue specialized graduate education before entering a career, and some enter the job market after completing the B.A. degree.

Our programs, supplemented by a careful selection of general education and elective courses, provides a broadly valuable mix of skills, knowledge, and perspectives to begin a career.

View a presentation highlighting some of the great careers our graduates go on to.

For general information about Political science careers, click here.

A few of these career areas include:

• LAW.  Political science provides essential background for those who later wish to pursue the study of law and its practice.

• BUSINESS.  Business leaders in a mixed economy need a thorough knowledge of government, international politics, and public policy.  Political science offers much as a foundation for a career in management.  Students with B.A.’s often begin in management trainee positions, or seek a graduate M.B.A. degree.  Many political science majors hold positions in business.

• PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.  Governments at all levels hire political science B.A. graduates for professional positions.  Some jobs will require graduate study in public administration or public policy analysis. 

• JOURNALISM AND PUBLIC RELATIONS.  Knowledge of the workings of governments, politics and law, and research methodology, coupled with strong writing skills, are assets to anyone seeking a career in journalism or public relations.

• COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.  Graduates find employment in community service agencies or with interest groups.  Employers value political science majors who can offer research skills, organizational aptitude, and abilities in analysis and communication.
  See: Careers In Nonprofits

• EDUCATION.  Opportunities exist for teachers in secondary schools, although preparation in other social studies is essential.  Employment in college teaching requires a Ph.D. degree.

• MILITARY SERVICE.  Those seeking to enter military service as an officer will find political science study highly relevant.

• POLITICAL MANAGEMENT.  Many graduates find professional positions in political campaigns and on the staff of political office-holders.

• PUBLIC OFFICE.  Several of our graduates serve as elected officials in local, State, and Federal governments.

• FOREIGN SERVICE. Political Science students are frequently employed with the Foreign Service.  Several graduates of Creighton's program are currently serving in the Foreign Service. 

• INTELLIGENCE AND ANTI-TERRORISM:  CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security as well as the State and Federal government are interested in political science and international relations graduates because of their vast knowledge of world affairs and world politics. 

Faculty advisors are happy to talk with students about career directions.  The Career Planning and Placement Office can provide information on demand for various positions, assistance in preparing a resume and in conducting a job search, as well as contact with a wide range of employers. 

Dr. Scott Hendrickson acts as the main pre-law advisor for the Creighton University, College of Arts and Sciences.  In that role, he works with students interested in careers in law and law-related fields, advising them on course selection, career options, and, for those students planning to attend law school, law school preparation and the law school admissions process.

Students considering graduate and professional study should indicate their interests to a faculty member by the end of the junior year.  Faculty members will provide helpful information regarding various programs that would be a good fit for you and your career plans.

Each of us is affected by political decisions and most of us will play public political roles during our lives. For this reason, politics has always been studied in one way or another as part of a liberal arts education. We suggest a major in political science for persons especially interested in the "hows" and "whys" or politics, or for those who plan a career touching upon public affairs in areas such as law, journalism, business, public administration, political management, or community service.

The international relations major is the major of choice for those interested in global or regional politics or politics of other countries. It is best suited for a career in Foreign Service, foreign policy think-tanks, journalism, international business, international law, the military, or the intelligence community.

Students in the department learn about politics at several levels.

• Coursework in examine the institutions and processes used in the United States to select leaders and make public policy. Creighton offers a general course in American politics and a wide variety of specialized courses on areas such as political parties, the Congress, the court system, and others.
• Coursework in focuses on what governments choose to do, how they go about it, and what results.
• Comparative politics courses examine the similarities and differences in politics as it takes place in other areas, nations or societies, such as China, Western Europe, the Third World, Latin America or Russia and the dynamics of phenomena that cross-cut multiple countries such as development, democracy, ethnic conflict, nationalism and the like.
• The study of analyzes the interactions among nations. Issues discussed are diplomacy, international law, national security, and international organizations and global problems that cut across national boundaries.
• Studies to consider the fundamental criteria for evaluating political life and critically examine the arguments offered by many of history?s most important thinkers.

Creighton's curriculum in political science and international relations is designed to help students broaden and deepen their understanding of the political world. Faculty members assist and instruct students on how to sharpen their thoughts, to ask better questions, and to improve their skill in researching and finding answers to their questions.

Political Science and International Relations students develop their abilities in both written and oral communication, and acquire a solid background in the research process (including an introduction to the use of computers in social science research). Excellent opportunities exist for students to apply and integrate what they have learned in internship settings.

• Develop high-level analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills necessary for a rapidly changing world and gain the ability to manage and interpret information.
• Conduct research along-side faculty, participate in internships and engage in compelling dialogue through the Model UN and student government.
• Research, Design and Analysis track prepares students to excel in an emergent data science industry. Students have studied human trafficking in an effort to assist the FBI while others have focused on consumer research or STRATCOM internships.

• Political Science
• International Studies
• Government Publications
• Pre-Law list (variety of resources for the student interested in law, including the list of pre-law advisors in the Arts and Sciences and Business, as well as LSAT/LSDAS links, job link to Career Services, US News and World Law School ratings and specialized programs available at Creighton for pre-law students)

• National Political Index
• UC-Irvine: Political Science Resources
• Online! Citation Styles
• Electronic Resources for Political Scientists "'The Scholars' Guide to WWW" (this site has more than 300 sites in the humanities and social sciences)

• Congressional Research Service Reports
• Center for Responsive Politics
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Presidents of the United States
• Congress Link - information regarding Congress and how to contact your congressman
• Policy Library
• Policy Resource
• The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy
• https://www.ksg.harvard.edu/presspol/
• National Center for Policy Analysis
• U.S. State and Local Gateway - State and local government:
• Project Vote Smart
• Politics1.com
• National Political Index 
• Roll Call online
• The LII (Legal Information Institute) and Hermes: overview and recent developments (US Supreme Court  decisions and summaries since May 1990)
• Selected CRS (Congressional Research Service) reports
• National Archives and Records Administration
• https://www.nara.gov/
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/
• https://www.aclu.org/
• https://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
• The United States Constitution Online
• The Federalist Papers
• https://memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fedpapers.html
• The Anti-Federalist Papers (index)
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• https://www.ncsl.org/National Center for State Courts
• State Constitutions
• National Governors Association  
• U.S. Senate
• House of Representatives
• Republican National Committee
• Democratic National Committee
• The Heritage Foundation, Policy Research and Analysis
• C-Span
• Federal Election Commission
• Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (records of congress, presidential libraries and more)

• British Politics
• Houses of Parliament
• Hansard - House of Commons Debates
• No. 10 Downing Street (home and office of the Prime Minister)

• United Nations
• The World Bank
• The European Union (EU) in the US
• Digital National Security Archive
• Stratnet

• Foundations of Political Theory
• Political Science Resources - Political Theory

• PollingReport.com
• The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
• Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
• STAT-USA Internet
• SPSS, Inc.
• The Gallup Poll

• Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics
• Berkeley Workshop on Environmental Politics
• International Environmental Law