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Job description
Grading and evaluating student work is a constant alongside lecturing, and professors also advise students on coursework and career paths and often serve as an adviser to a student organization. They revise curricula and course materials over time and stay current in the field by reading new research, attending conferences, and talking with colleagues. Many split time between teaching and research, and a PhD in political science or a related field is the standard credential.
Pros
- High upside earning potential, up to $175k, above many social science teaching fields
- Advising role extends beyond the classroom into student organizations and career guidance
- Subject matter stays current with real-world political developments, keeping teaching material fresh
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Only about 1,600 positions nationwide, a fairly narrow academic specialty
- Requires a PhD, a long path through graduate school before qualifying to teach
A typical day
A teaching day might open with a 9:30am lecture on comparative electoral systems to 80 undergrads, followed by office hours where a student needs help rescuing a research design. Lunch doubles as a department meeting about next year's course schedule. The protected afternoon block goes to the professor's own research — cleaning cross-national data, revising a journal article a reviewer wants restructured, or drafting a grant proposal. Evenings often hold a graduate seminar, dissertation chapters to comment on, and the permanent background hum of grading. Summers shift the balance hard toward research and writing.
Tasks at the job
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
- Act as advisers to student organizations.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. The work is highly structured, following set procedures.
Education necessary or common
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the relevant field
Common college majors
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Government & Politics (US and Comparative) — the field's direct on-ramp
- AP Statistics — modern political science is heavily quantitative
- AP English Language — academic careers are writing careers
- AP World History or European History — institutional context across countries
- A foreign language — comparative research often requires one
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Model UN — the classic pipeline activity
- Debate team
- Student government
- Write for the school newspaper on politics and policy
First steps you can take now
- Read one real political science journal article and note how it differs from punditry
- Email a political science professor at a nearby college and ask about their path
- Enter a research-based essay competition (e.g. JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest)
- Take a free intro course like Yale's or MIT's OpenCourseWare political science offerings
