Political science degrees preparing internationals for global graduate success

Last December, TIME magazine declared 2024 “the election year.” Close to half (49%) of the people in the world — the most in history — will head to the poll to vote in their national elections. How fair are these electoral processes and what even is “fair” in the first place? What are the consequences in store? Political science is the key to answering these questions and deciphering the complex power structures that shape our world. By diving into history, political theory, and international relations, a political science education equips you to be an informed citizen and a critical thinker.

A graduate programme in this field can take your understanding a step further. It allows for specialisation in areas like international security, public policy, or political communication, preparing you for more senior roles in government, NGOs, or academia. Your advanced knowledge and skillset are especially relevant in today’s ever-changing political landscape. Take, for example, the fresh wave of hard-right populism in Europe today and the growing security issue across countries and nations arising out of the rise in cybercrimes and extreme weather, to name just two.

If you seek to enact world change on such issues and beyond, the following graduate programmes have a track record of providing good preparation for a career in government, public policy, consultancies, and international organisations, as well as for further research,  including PhD programmes.

Columbia University’s Master of Arts in Political Science programme welcomes a cohort of around 30 students each year. Source: Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University’s Master of Arts in Political Science graduates go on to good jobs in both academic and non-academic professions. They’re working in local government, international organisations, and the media, and pursuing PhD programmes at top universities such as Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and more. These careers were built on the substantive and methodological training they received at Columbia.

Columbia University’s Political Science department was founded in 1880 as the first of its kind in the country — a fitting starting point for anyone who seeks to follow in the pioneering spirit of the department and the leaders and prize winners in every subfield of the discipline at its helm today. Spanning one year full-time, the MA offers four concentrations: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, or political theory. Whichever you choose, you’ll get to work closely with some of the best minds in the field. The MA’s cohort is small – around 30 every year – which allows for personalised advising with the MA Director and other faculty adcisors. You will get more individualised attention through workshops and interviews with faculty, and other social events as well.

One day you may pick the mind of Don Green, a distinguished political scientist known for his pioneering work in experimental methods in social science research. His studies on voter behaviour and political campaigns have profoundly impacted our understanding of political psychology and electoral processes. The next day you may meet Nadia Urbinati, a prominent political theorist whose work explores democratic theory, populism, and political representation. Her critical examinations of democratic processes and the challenges of modern populism provide a deep understanding of contemporary political issues.

Interactions like these take place just as much within as well as beyond classrooms. The department’s lively co-curricular forums enable you to benefit from all the faculty have to teach about state-of-the-art political science research. Columbia’s researchers confront real-world questions, using methods ranging from qualitative methods (such ad interviews or archival research) to quantitative data collection, complex statistical analysis, lab and field experiments, and game-theoretic modelling. Learn more about the Master of Arts in Political Science.

Close to 60% of students at LSE’s Department of Government are from almost 80 countries outside the UK. Source: London School of Economics and Political Science/Facebook

London School of Economics and Political Science

Set within the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the Department of Government has a distinguished faculty and a curriculum built upon six key pillars: Comparative Politics, Conflict Studies, Political Behavior and Psychology, Political Economy and  Institutional Analysis, Political Theory, and Public Policy and Administration.

LSE’s MSc Political Science reflects these sub-disciplinary strengths. The programme itself is a well-rounded exploration of this field, with specialisation available through distinct programme streams that cater to specific interests like Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics, Global Politics, Political Behaviour, and Political Science and Political Economy.

Take the Political Science and Political Economy stream, for example. It equips students with a powerful combination of formal political science knowledge and quantitative approaches to political economy. They acquire the skills to analyse political processes, institutional design, and public policymaking within liberal democracies. The coursework covers a wide range of topics, including political economy, elections, legislatures, governments, public policy, development, and the interaction between international politics and economics.

But academic prestige is only one reason why graduates love this programme. A defining feature of the MSc is its location in London and all it has to offer. One graduate described how being based in the UK capital “opened doors and new opportunities that I would never have had elsewhere” as “most organisations, NGOs, think-tanks and so on have some sort of office or representation there.”

LSE’s postgraduate students in 2020-21 report a median salary of 34,000 pounds 15 months after graduating (Higher Education Statistics Agency). The top five sectors they work in are Consultancy; Government, Public Sector and Policy; Health and Social Care; Education, Teaching and Research; and Information, Digital Technology and Data.

Luiss University’s “Politics and International Studies” programme is ranked 14th globally (2023 QS World University Rankings for Politics and International Studies). Source: Luiss University/Facebook

Luiss University

Luiss University’s Department of Political Science (DiSP) has a vibrant intellectual community. Comprising a multinational group of scholars, the department adopts a multidisciplinary approach, exploring various social science fields and employing diverse methodologies. Their research actively contributes to ongoing debates across disciplines, enriching scholarly discourse and promoting innovative perspectives.

The department takes pride in its global outlook, embracing diverse schools of thought while maintaining a rigorous commitment to research excellence. DiSP hosts one of Europe’s premier PhD programmes in Politics and has seen rapid growth in its postdoctoral programme. Its achievements are recognised internationally, as seen by its 14th place ranking in the 2023 QS World University Rankings for Politics and International Studies — ranking second in the EU and first in Italy.

The three-year PhD programme in Politics equips graduates for academic and professional success, preparing them for careers in international institutions, NGOs, and research entities. It trains future analysts in policy research and provides a platform for international scientific exchange.

Research forms the foundation of DiSP’s great track record. Faculty members have a prolific record of publications, appearing in international and national journals and collaborating with top publishers. The department itself houses leading scientific journals and actively participates in, or even leads, research projects of international and national scope, such as Horizon projects and PRIN initiatives.

At UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science, faculty and students engage in award-winning and globally recognised research across various topics. Source: University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

Ranked among the top political science departments in the US, The Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, has trained some of the world’s finest scholars and teachers in the field. 

“At the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science, we welcome open intellectual exchange and debate on these and many issues in our classrooms, our research, and our public engagement,” says Susan Hyde, professor and department chair. “We are proud of our reputation as a flagship public institution and one of the very best political science departments in the world.”

The department values theoretical diversity, intellectual breadth, analytical rigour, and scholarly excellence. Leading these values are over 50 faculty and lecturers, each performing research in one of the 11 subfields on numerous special topics. Students and faculty also work with over 20 specialised and interdisciplinary institutes and centres around campus. These mainly explore issues relating to political science and our world today.

The PhD programme, in particular, has two phases: coursework and examinations and dissertation research and writing. These take about five to six years, which includes three years for candidacy and two or three for dissertation research and writing. Graduates from this department have been able to secure jobs or faculty and postdoc positions at the most competitive institutions in the US and abroad.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International