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Political Science
The tables below present the occupations that are most commonly associated
with a degree in Political Science. We have separated the tables
depending on whether we examine graduates who stop their education with the
bachelors degree in Political Science, and those who get either a masters
in Political Science, a Ph.D. in Political Science.
While the list above describes the occupations of students with advanced degrees in
Political Science some students with a bachelors degree in Political Science will get advanced
degrees in other fields. The tables listed below descibe the types of advanced degrees
that were chosen by students with a bachelors in Political Science.
Since all of the above tables present information on the average salary,
it is possible to lose sight of the fact that some majors place students
in jobs with a narrow range of salaries near to the mean while others
place students in many different income categories. For this reason,
we have drawn two frequency distributions (histograms) of Political Science Salaries.
Histogram of Political Science Salaries: Bachelors Degree Only
The diagram below includes all students with a major in Political Science who received no degree beyond the bachelors.
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Histogram of Political Science Salaries: Bachelors and Beyond
The diagram below includes all students with a major in Political Science while an undergraduate.
The data includes students who subsequently earned degrees beyond the bachelors.
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Bachelors Degree
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages whose most recent college degree was a bachelors degree majoring in Political Science.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$57,951 212 18.96 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers)
$42,283 86 7.69 OTHER management related occupations
$55,199 76 6.80 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services
$41,068 64 5.72 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed)
$40,492 47 4.20 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists
$47,762 42 3.76 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers
$33,165 41 3.67 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators)
$42,106 39 3.49 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists
$38,647 39 3.49 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics)
$45,785 37 3.31 OTHER marketing and sales occupations
$30,934 37 3.31 Social Workers
$46,608 36 3.22 Protective services (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards)
$48,167 35 3.13 Sales Occupations - Commodities Except Retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equiptment/supplies)
$56,226 23 2.06 Computer system analysts
$33,524 19 1.70 OTHER service occupations, except health
$32,724 19 1.70 Teachers: Secondary - social sciences
$36,539 16 1.43 OTHER computer, information science Occupations
$65,750 16 1.43 Transportation/material moving occupations
$47,782 16 1.43 Lawyers, Judges
$26,104 15 1.34 Secretaries, receptionists, typists
$49,709 14 1.25 Construction trades, miners and well drillers
$30,635 13 1.16 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236)
$30,341 11 .98 Teachers: Elementary
$42,187 11 .98 Computer programmers (business, scientific, process control)
$28,127 11 .98 Food Preparation and Service (e.g., cooks, waitresses, bartenders)
$30,542 9 .81 Teachers: Secondary - other subjects
$28,532 8 .72 OTHER health occupations
$30,043 7 .63 Unknown
$26,420 7 .63 Mechanics and repairers
$45,347 7 .63 Information systems scientists or analysts
$35,400 6 .54 Political scientists
$22,027 6 .54 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers
$28,990 6 .54 Registered nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, therapists, physician assistants
$27,448 5 .45 Health Technologists and Technicians (e.g., dental hygienists, health record technologists/technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical or laboratory technicians, radiologic technologists/technicians)
$62,380 5 .45 Computer engineer - software
$32,971 5 .45 Operators and related occupations (e.g., machine set-up, machine operators and tenders, fabricators, assemblers)
$38,863 5 .45 Engineers: Industrial
$29,000 4 .36 Farmers, Foresters and Fishermen
$20,020 4 .36 Precision/production occupations (e.g., workers, woodworkers, butchers, bakers, printing occupations, tailors, shoemakers, photographic process)
$22,656 4 .36 Teachers: Special education - primary and secondary
$69,333 3 .27 Engineers: Sales
$24,419 3 .27 Librarians, Archivists, Curators Managers, Executives, Administrators (Also see 151-153)
$44,813 3 .27 Computer engineer - hardware
$46,141 3 .27 Statisticians
$41,133 3 .27 Engineers: Environmental
$30,592 3 .27 Teachers: Secondary - computer, math or sciences
$20,298 3 .27 Teachers: Pre-Kindergarten and kindergarten
$37,028 3 .27 Drafting occupations, including computer drafting
$47,500 2 .18 Engineers: Mechanical
$46,193 2 .18 Economists
$27,342 2 .18 OTHER engineering technologists and technicians
$45,300 2 .18 Historians, except science and technology
$42,654 2 .18 Architects Engineers (Also see 101-103)
$41,679 2 .18 Operations research analysts, modelling
$40,302 2 .18 Engineers: Electrical, electronic
$31,340 2 .18 OTHER social scientist
$52,000 1 .09 Engineers: Nuclear
$150,000 1 .09 Forestry, conservation scientists
$62,820 1 .09 Engineers: Petroleum
$100,000 1 .09 Chemists, except biochemists
$15,500 1 .09 Professors: Social Work
$52,000 1 .09 Agricultural and food scientists
$51,150 1 .09 Engineers: Bioengineering and biomedical
$50,000 1 .09 Engineers: Chemical
$40,000 1 .09 OTHER biological/life scientists
$37,200 1 .09 Engineers: Electrical, electronic, industrial, mechanical
$37,000 1 .09 Psychologists, including clinical (Also see 070)
$26,000 1 .09 Geologists, including earth scientists
$24,000 1 .09 Professors: Law
$23,400 1 .09 Technologists and technicians in the physical sciences
$16,800 1 .09 Professors: Economics
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Masters
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all
sexes and ages whose most recent college degree was a masters degree
in Political Science.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$60,072 34 25.00 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers)
$43,020 11 8.09 Teachers: Secondary - social sciences
$70,366 8 5.88 OTHER management related occupations
$39,568 8 5.88 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers
$35,957 7 5.15 Professors: Political Science
$30,125 5 3.68 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed)
$53,120 5 3.68 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services
$20,510 4 2.94 OTHER service occupations, except health
$25,635 3 2.21 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators)
$25,667 3 2.21 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics)
$54,200 3 2.21 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists
$49,608 3 2.21 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236)
$42,000 3 2.21 Teachers: Secondary - other subjects
$19,400 3 2.21 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers
$74,500 2 1.47 Transportation/material moving occupations
$74,500 2 1.47 OTHER marketing and sales occupations
$54,500 2 1.47 Economists
$48,600 2 1.47 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists
$46,750 2 1.47 Computer system analysts
$31,500 2 1.47 Clergy and Other Religious Workers
$42,186 2 1.47 Librarians, Archivists, Curators Managers, Executives, Administrators (Also see 151-153)
$25,400 2 1.47 Food Preparation and Service (e.g., cooks, waitresses, bartenders)
$36,000 2 1.47 OTHER computer, information science Occupations
$32,000 2 1.47 Political scientists
$44,200 2 1.47 Social Workers
$84,000 1 .74 Engineers: Nuclear
$26,000 1 .74 Teachers: Elementary
$27,000 1 .74 Historians, except science and technology
$70,000 1 .74 Lawyers, Judges
$70,000 1 .74 Information systems scientists or analysts
$63,600 1 .74 Engineers: Electrical, electronic
$57,500 1 .74 OTHER engineering technologists and technicians
$60,000 1 .74 Engineers: Civil, including architectural and sanitary
$57,600 1 .74 OTHER postsecondary
$54,600 1 .74 Statisticians
$36,000 1 .74 OTHER health occupations
$52,000 1 .74 OTHER social scientist
$37,440 1 .74 Professors: Education
$47,000 1 .74 Teachers: Special education - primary and secondary
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Ph.D.
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all
sexes and ages whose most recent college degree was a Ph.D. degree in
Political Science.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$47,100 42 47.19 Professors: Political Science
$76,831 16 17.98 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers)
$36,800 5 5.62 Political scientists
$37,750 4 4.49 OTHER postsecondary
$44,057 3 3.37 OTHER management related occupations
$61,667 3 3.37 Professors: OTHER social sciences
$49,000 2 2.25 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers
$51,495 2 2.25 OTHER social scientist
$77,500 2 2.25 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists
$66,500 2 2.25 OTHER marketing and sales occupations
$75,086 1 1.12 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236)
$150,000 1 1.12 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services
$83,200 1 1.12 Professors: Law
$33,000 1 1.12 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing
$60,000 1 1.12 Clergy and Other Religious Workers
$52,500 1 1.12 Professors: Sociology
$51,000 1 1.12 Physicists
$47,533 1 1.12 Teachers: Secondary - social sciences
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Masters Degrees earned by students with a Bachelors
degree in Political Science
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$50,842 80 14.55 Public administration
$64,073 59 10.73 Business administration and management
$48,252 54 9.82 Political science and government
$61,414 26 4.73 International relations
$37,735 21 3.82 Social Work
$50,118 19 3.45 Education: Administration
$86,775 16 2.91 Financial management
$90,522 16 2.91 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies
$52,200 16 2.91 OTHER business management/administrative services
$78,334 16 2.91 Business marketing/marketing management
$70,686 15 2.73 Business, general
$40,715 15 2.73 Education: OTHER education
$36,675 14 2.55 Education: Counselor education/guidance services
$55,178 12 2.18 Architecture/Environmental Design
$45,513 12 2.18 Psychology: Counseling
$70,776 11 2.00 Public policy studies
$45,309 9 1.64 Library Science
$46,022 9 1.64 OTHER social sciences
$42,001 7 1.27 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology
$42,186 7 1.27 History, other
$47,833 6 1.09 Education: Secondary teacher education
$46,800 5 .91 Area/Ethnic Studies
$34,800 5 .91 Education: Elementary teacher education
$56,580 5 .91 Economics
$50,500 4 .73 Computer science
$43,188 4 .73 Education: Social science teacher education
$41,600 4 .73 Education: Special education
$31,250 4 .73 Sociology
$32,667 3 .55 Psychology: Industrial/Organizational
$57,667 3 .55 OTHER FIELDS (Not Listed)
$70,000 3 .55 Health services administration
$38,095 3 .55 Criminal Justice/Protective Services
$76,667 3 .55 Dramatic arts
$29,833 3 .55 OTHER communications
$61,333 3 .55 Communications, general
$47,233 3 .55 Environmental science studies
$33,733 3 .55 Criminology
$50,900 2 .36 Engineering: Civil
$52,000 2 .36 OTHER public affairs
$53,616 2 .36 Fine arts, all fields
$29,500 2 .36 OTHER foreign languages and literature
$53,500 2 .36 Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies
$26,750 2 .36 Psychology: Clinical
$55,894 2 .36 Public health (including environmental health and epidemiology)
$57,020 2 .36 Computer systems analysis
$42,490 2 .36 Education: Pre-elementary teacher education
$30,565 2 .36 Liberal Arts/General Studies
$48,080 2 .36 Geography
$67,133 2 .36 Business/managerial economics
$35,480 2 .36 Mathematics, general
$43,250 2 .36 Computer/information sciences, general
$43,000 2 .36 OTHER visual and performing arts
$69,500 1 .18 OTHER conservation/renewable natural resources
$64,000 1 .18 Information services and systems
$72,000 1 .18 OTHER psychology
$150,000 1 .18 Atmospheric sciences and meteorology
$85,280 1 .18 Computer programming
$22,800 1 .18 Journalism
$60,000 1 .18 Engineering: Computer/systems
$60,000 1 .18 Accounting
$55,428 1 .18 Engineering: Industrial production technologies
$49,000 1 .18 Physics
$47,000 1 .18 Psychology: Educational
$47,000 1 .18 Education: Educational psychology
$43,200 1 .18 OTHER health/medical sciences
$42,000 1 .18 OTHER engineering-related technologies
$40,000 1 .18 Linguistics
$39,500 1 .18 English Language and Literature/Letters
$36,000 1 .18 Marketing research
$33,509 1 .18 Education: Mathematics teacher education
$31,980 1 .18 OTHER agricultural sciences
$30,000 1 .18 Engineering: Nuclear
$29,900 1 .18 OTHER engineering
$25,000 1 .18 Home Economics
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PhD's earned by students with a Bachelors
degree in Political Science
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$52,963 54 40.30 Political science and government
$78,688 19 14.18 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies
$61,504 12 8.96 Education: OTHER education
$58,644 9 6.72 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology
$58,725 4 2.99 History, other
$71,500 4 2.99 International relations
$57,434 3 2.24 Education: Administration
$61,500 3 2.24 Anthropology and archeology
$61,167 3 2.24 Sociology
$63,675 2 1.49 Public administration
$51,725 2 1.49 OTHER business management/administrative services
$27,800 2 1.49 Psychology: Clinical
$45,250 2 1.49 Communications, general
$63,128 1 .75 Agriculture, economics
$64,000 1 .75 Library Science
$66,500 1 .75 Geography
$84,000 1 .75 Public policy studies
$120,000 1 .75 Computer systems analysis
$24,960 1 .75 Journalism
$51,000 1 .75 Business administration and management
$48,880 1 .75 OTHER communications
$47,310 1 .75 Economics
$47,000 1 .75 OTHER foreign languages and literature
$40,000 1 .75 Criminal Justice/Protective Services
$38,500 1 .75 English Language and Literature/Letters
$38,000 1 .75 OTHER social sciences
$34,668 1 .75 Education: Special education
$26,000 1 .75 Psychology: Educational
$26,000 1 .75 Education: Educational psychology
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Other Professiona Degrees earned by students with a Bachelors
degree in Political Science
Other advanced degrees include: JD, LLB, ThD, MD, and the DDS.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$73,592 525 94.77 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies
$105,231 13 2.35 Medicine (e.g., dentistry, optometry, osteopathic, podiatry, veterinary)
$80,600 3 .54 Political science and government
$66,252 2 .36 Business administration and management
$21,320 2 .36 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology
$148,000 1 .18 Pharmacology, human and animal
$150,000 1 .18 Social Work
$150,000 1 .18 OTHER business management/administrative services
$150,000 1 .18 Education: OTHER education
$84,000 1 .18 Liberal Arts/General Studies
$130,000 1 .18 International relations
$86,632 1 .18 Financial management
$60,000 1 .18 Education: Administration
$59,280 1 .18 OTHER health/medical sciences
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Prepared by Prof. Ken Chapman: 73122.1717@compuserve.com