If you have a strong interest in politics, excellent debate skills, and desire to serve the public, you might be considering a career in politics. Politics is a diverse field and there is no specific educational path to get you there, but you can start by pursuing one of these majors.

Political Science is the study of political systems and government operations. This is an ideal major because students will learn everything they need to know about the government and how it is run. They also learn about legislative processes, the justice system, and political theories and affiliations. Most importantly, students will learn how to crtically evaluate politics, develop their own ideas about it, and learn how to contribute to it. They take courses that help them to understand American government, such as U.S. intelligence and policy making, public policy analysis, U.S. foreign policy, and contemporary political ideologies. They also take courses that focus specifically on politics like politics of ecological crisis, politics of developing areas, and ethnic and racial politics.

History is the study of past events, people, and cultures for the purpose of understanding the world and how it is effected by change. Since the history of America and the development of its government are so closely related, this major will benefit students interested in politics. As it is a broad subject, students will have many choices when it comes to the courses they can take. It is important that they choose courses that focus on American history, such as U.S. constitutional history, U.S. economic history, and civil war and reconstruction. Courses can also address topics in a historical context, such as socialism, race relations and gender roles, all important issues for anyone going into politics. Also relevant, are the analytical skills students will develop as they learn how to evaluate historical events, ideas, and politics, through reading historical documents and critical writing.

Public administration is the study of administrators and how they carry out policy at local, state, and Federal levels. Public administration is an ideal major, as students will not only learn about the government, but about the people the government serves. These majors study how policy is made and acted upon, how policy makers recognize the needs of different groups, and about issues policy makers face, such as health care, environmental quality, crime, and welfare. The most important thing that majors will learn are how to find the middle ground when it comes to opposing viewpoints, the ability to bring diverse groups together, and the desire to change communities in a positive way.