Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

Teach courses in political science, international affairs, and international relations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $98,070 Median per year Most earn $56,450–$174,660

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
  • Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools91.0%
  • Junior colleges8.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

This is not an entry-level job. Most people need a doctoral degree and some work experience first, usually about 1 to 2 years, so the full route often takes roughly 10 or more years after high school.

  1. Bachelor's degree in political science or international relations

    4 years

    You build a foundation in government, international affairs, research methods, and writing, and you can get to know professors who may later write your recommendations.

  2. Research Assistant or Policy Research Assistant

    1-2 years

    You gain hands-on experience with research, data, and writing at a university, think tank, or government office, which helps you decide on graduate school and strengthens your applications.

  3. Doctoral degree (PhD) in political science

    4-6 years

    You complete advanced coursework, original research, and a dissertation, and often teach or assist with classes along the way, which is the core preparation for a professor role.

  4. Political Science Teacher, Postsecondary

    Ongoing

    You teach political science, international affairs, or international relations courses at a college or university, often balancing teaching with research and publishing.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor of Political Science

    5-7 years of experience first

    After earning tenure-track experience and building a record of published research and teaching, you move up to a senior faculty role with more responsibility for courses, research, and mentoring.

  2. Full Professor of Political Science

    5-10 years of experience first

    Full professors usually have a strong publication record, a national reputation, and often lead major research projects or graduate programs.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take AP Government and Politics or AP Comparative GovernmentThese courses introduce you to how political systems work and show whether you enjoy the subject enough to study it for many years.
  • Join debate, Model UN, or a mock trial clubThese activities build research, argument, and public speaking skills that professors use every day in class and in their work.
  • Take history and a world languageHistory builds the reading and analysis habits you'll need, and language skills are valuable for international relations work.
  • Volunteer on a local campaign or with a school board or city councilSeeing how government decisions get made firsthand gives you real examples to bring into your studies.
  • Read widely about current events and policyRegular reading from several news sources helps you understand debates and form well-supported opinions.

In college

  • Major or minor in political science or international relationsThese courses cover the core theories, methods, and regional knowledge you'll need for graduate study in the field.
  • Work as a research assistant for a professorHelping with data collection, literature reviews, or writing gives you direct research experience and strong recommendation letters.
  • Apply to be a teaching assistant or tutorExplaining material to classmates is an early way to test whether you enjoy teaching, which is a large part of this career.
  • Take statistics and research methods coursesQuantitative and qualitative methods are central to political science research and are expected in most PhD programs.
  • Present at an undergraduate research conference or write an honors thesisCompleting a research project and presenting it shows graduate programs that you can do independent scholarly work.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a professor if you can help with their research, and keep track of every paper, project, or presentation you complete, since these will matter for graduate school.
  • Strengthen your writing and public speaking now, because teaching and publishing both depend on clear communication, and debate or writing centers are good places to practice.
  • Look into graduate programs early and talk to current PhD students about funding, workload, and what life as a professor is really like.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

Related careers