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Job outlook for assistant professors of political science in the United States
Are assistant professor of political science jobs in demand?
Assistant professor of political science job and salary trends over time
Assistant professor of political science jobs over time
Assistant professor of political science job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,557 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,676 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,745 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,760 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,794 | 0.00% |
Average assistant professor of political science salary over time
Assistant professor of political science salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,076 | $37.54 | --0.2% |
| 2024 | $78,230 | $37.61 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $75,900 | $36.49 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $74,134 | $35.64 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | $72,113 | $34.67 | +3.7% |
Assistant professor of political science jobs by state
Most common states for assistant professors of political science
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 131 | 19% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 93 | 15% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 84 | 10% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 332 | 8% |
| 5 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 150 | 8% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 149 | 8% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 83 | 8% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 83 | 8% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 57 | 8% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 563 | 7% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 418 | 7% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 212 | 7% |
| 13 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 88 | 7% |
| 14 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 39 | 7% |
| 15 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,120 | 6% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 412 | 6% |
| 17 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 176 | 6% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 80 | 6% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 57 | 6% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 43 | 6% |
Most common cities for assistant professors of political science
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beloit | 1 | 3% | $75,041 |
| 2 | Newark | 1 | 3% | $97,222 |
| 3 | Colorado Springs | 1 | 0% | $71,214 |
Assistant Professor Of Political Science job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of assistant professor of political science experts
Tiffin University
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
College of the Marshall Islands
University of New Orleans
University of South Florida
University of La Verne
Hope College
Hartwick College
Skidmore College
University of North Florida
College of Charleston
Franklin and Marshall College
Texas State University
Seattle University
What general advice would you give to an Assistant Professor Of Political Science?
Adam Butz Ph.D.: Thanks! We've found we get better responses over email than the phone because it gives you some time to think about it. We were hoping you could answer the following questions:
What Assistant Professor Of Political Science skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Adam Butz Ph.D.: Hi Alex, Your Zippia inquiry was directed to me by a colleague Dr. David Powell. I've recently taken over as Chair of the Public Policy & Administration Department. I could potentially provide you with necessary quotes/information about public administration careers. Please let me know exactly what you are looking for and the format for submission, etc.
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What Assistant Professor Of Political Science skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Flexibility and adaptability will be the biggest skills instructors will need. The state of higher education is changing, and the 'ivory tower' is going away. Colleges and universities are starting to focus more on career-oriented programs, which include practical and application skill sets. In order to stay relevant, the focus of humanities classes like art and film should be on teaching students analysis, synthesis, and other critical-thinking skills. The content becomes less important and becomes only the vehicle for teaching these skills.
What will help Assistant Professors Of Political Science increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
What Assistant Professor Of Political Science skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Paula Holoviak Ph.D.: Starting salaries are already quite good even for those with no job experience which leads me back to my first statement. Get some experience through internship opportunities. Don't be afraid to start at the bottom (especially in state government) and work your way up through the system.
What will help Assistant Professors Of Political Science increase their earning potential?
Dr. Paula Holoviak Ph.D.: Get an internship in the field especially if you have no work experience in government administration or nonprofit management. Most jobs ask for 3 to 5 years of experience.
What will help Assistant Professors Of Political Science increase their earning potential?
Alexander Velasquez: I think everyone should look into their career fields and find out what it is that makes you more valuable in that field. Are there any certifications that you can get? What is it that you need to know or learn that companies will find valuable? Much can be learned online, so pick up as many of those skills as you can, and make sure they're on your resume or CV. I believe all those things could maximize salary potential, especially when starting out.
Christine Day Ph.D.
Professor and ChairUniversity of New Orleans
Department of Political Science
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Political Science possess?
Christine Day Ph.D.: For anyone going on the job market with a Bachelor's degree (or higher) in political science, there are many opportunities in national, state, and local government; elective office; nonprofits and political advocacy; campaign management and polling; teaching; journalism; and business (because there is much overlap between politics/government and business, with business regulations, contracting out for public services, etc.). There are further opportunities for those who go on to graduate school or law school, as many political science majors do. Soft skills like communicating effectively both orally and in writing, researching and solving problems, and civic knowledge and engagement, are emphasized in political science, and they transfer well into a variety of careers.
What skills stand out on Assistant Professor Of Political Science resumes?
Lee Braver: Colleges and universities fall into different categories which value different skills and accomplishments. The most obvious division is between schools that emphasize research and those that pride themselves on their teaching. Research institutions are looking for scholars who can publish a lot in exclusive journals and presses, thereby enhancing their reputation. They are looking for evidence of research skills: publications, awards, letters of recommendation that praise the candidate's writing and thinking. Teaching schools, on the other hand, are looking for excellent teachers. In the buyer's market we now have, they can require high research ability as well, but some will actually be scared off by too much research. They will worry that the candidate will focus on their research instead of their teaching and that they will seek to leave as soon as they can. These schools are typically looking for teaching experience, high student evaluations, and letters that single out these qualities for praise, whereas research schools typically don't care a lot about these sorts of things. Thus, the qualities one type of institution values, the other can be apathetic towards or even avoid. Teaching schools far outnumber research schools, so there are far more jobs in the former than in the latter.
What skills will help Assistant Professors Of Political Science earn the most?
Lee Braver: Let's see-an M.B.A., the ability to pick winning lottery numbers, being repelled by the humanities so that one goes into business-those would be pretty useful for making money. No one should go into academia for the money, not just not for wealth but even for a comfortable living, which is becoming more difficult to achieve in America in general. It is nearly impossible to make a living as an adjunct professor, which is where the profession is heading. There are many good-paying jobs, but those tend to congregate at the elite schools, the ones that emphasize research the most, and these are the fewest and hardest to get. Worse-paying jobs are also hard to come by, and the competition is just getting stiffer as more Ph.D.'s get dumped into the market each year which is itself accreting all those who did not land jobs in the previous years. At many institutions, raises are minimal since jobs are so hard to come by, and there's little else that rewards a humanities Ph.D. The only way to get a substantial raise is to get a credible offer from another institution and hope that yours wants to keep you enough to overbid them; otherwise, you're stuck, especially after getting tenure, and they know it. That's why tenure is called "golden handcuffs," though I think a better name might be something like velvet handcuffs, given gold's connotation of wealth.
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Political Science possess?
Lee Braver: Soft skills are most important to working once one has gotten a job rather than important to getting a job since those are quite difficult to discern from applications and brief interviews. That is one of the reasons schools can be wary of hiring with tenure; a person could look great on paper but be a nightmare to work with, and you're stuck with them.
I believe that tenacity, organizational skills and time management, and the ability to work long hours are crucial to getting tenure and succeeding in academia more broadly, in some ways more important than raw intelligence (if such a notion is coherent). Failure and rejection are endemic to the job; anyone who gets discouraged easily will do so. One must persevere in the face of sometimes harsh criticism and hostile conditions (especially now that much of the country has turned against higher education and the humanities in particular), and one must be able to juggle multiple responsibilities that make considerable time demands. In this, the tenure track resembles other early-career positions, such as medical residency or working towards partnership in a law firm. The untenured often must do the scut work that no one else wants to do, made more difficult by the fact that they are frantically trying to learn on the job with little to no guidance. It is not at all unusual for early-career professors to teach 4 classes per semester, at least some of which are new and/or large, do all the grading for them, serve on multiple committees, and write for elusive publications, all at once.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Assistant Professors Of Political Science?
Lee Braver: Well, a Ph.D. is necessary, although one can sometimes be hired within striking distance of it. The ability to teach so as to bring students to the major and get high student evaluations are often requirements at teaching schools while writing well enough to publish, often in journals with single-digit acceptance rates, is crucial to research schools. Comfort with technology is becoming more and more important.
Marcia Godwin Ph.D.
Professor of Public Administration, Master of Public Administration (MPA) DirectorUniversity of La Verne
College of Business and Public Management
What general advice would you give to an Assistant Professor Of Political Science?
Marcia Godwin Ph.D.: The public sector is unique in having public salary schedules. All employers in California are required to post salary ranges. As a new employee, look for salary ranges that allow for growth and positions that have career ladders. Gaining the skills to move into supervisory and management positions is critical. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement and recommend master's degrees for advancement.
What Assistant Professor Of Political Science skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Marcia Godwin Ph.D.: Adaptability, ethics, and respect for the public are ever-more important. These skills go hand-in-hand with the basics of customer service, analytical work, budgeting and grant management, and keeping up with technology. I have the most professional experience working in local government offices that interact with elected officials and the public. I would seek out applicants who could adapt to a wide variety of situations, were professional in working with others, and had a passion for public service.
What will help Assistant Professors Of Political Science increase their earning potential?
Marcia Godwin Ph.D.: This is a great time to seek out a public service career. We have had a generational shift with the retirement of baby boomers, the emergence of new technology and work flexibility, and the ability to make a huge difference in local communities. I especially encourage students to look at the whole range of positions: city, county, state, federal, special districts, public health, and education. It is also important to consider your own preferred work environment, schedule, and style.
Dr. Rachel Schutte
Assistant ProfessorHope College
Department of Political Science
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Political Science possess?
Dr. Rachel Schutte: As with virtually all careers, graduates should be effective communicators in both written and oral presentation. There is a striking level of numerical illiteracy among the mass public and political elites alike; this creates a particularly high need for political science graduates to learn how to communicate the results of social scientific studies to lay people and politicians in clear, understandable terms without falling into the black-and-white (either-or style) partisan dichotomy. Graduates should hone their skills to present findings in a concise, yet persuasive and nuanced, manner.
While not a "soft skill," I would encourage political science students and graduates to seek opportunities to develop skills in data analytics. We are a world where everything - texts, speeches, emails, and the like - are prone to become big data. Understanding how to mine that data, how to use it, how to interpret relationships among variables in the data, and how to think critically about causality are invaluable skills to possess.
Dr. James Buthman Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political ScienceHartwick College
Political Science Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Political Science job market given the pandemic?
Dr. James Buthman Ph.D.: The world has changed with the pandemic and associated issues of society. This, in my view, raises the importance of adaptability and resilience. One of the best aspects of getting a Political Science degree is that it helps to understand society and come to the realization of the complexity of the modern world. Therefore, that knowledge students gain helps them to be adaptable and build resilience within the complex modern world. Whatever career path one starts out on, they will build their skill-sets but being adaptable and resilient are important elements of their education.
What technical skills for an Assistant Professor Of Political Science stand out to employers?
Dr. James Buthman Ph.D.: Knowing how to be conversant about data is essential. However, the most valuable aspects of education come from actually analyzing that data and understanding what questions it does not answer. And professional skills, being thoughtful and communicating with others, are valuable because graduates will evolve over time.
What type of skills will young Assistant Professors Of Political Science need?
Tillman W. Nechtman Ph.D.: When it comes to skills young graduates need, I will speak specifically to the field of History. It's always been the case that History Majors do well in the job market. Now, to be sure, there is the temptation to limit the scope of what jobs we imagine a historian can do. Career Service Offices sometimes think that History Majors teach, work in libraries, and archives, maybe a museum, and that is about it. The fact is that it's not uncommon to find CEO at Fortune 500 companies who were History Majors as undergraduates.
Presidents. Media personalities. Lawyers. Judges. You name it. History Majors are everywhere, and I think I know the reason. History Majors learn to take lots of data - and we're omnivorous about what we call data - and we synthesize it. We give it two frames. First, we weave it into a narrative form, a story, if you will. Second, we give that narrative analytical meaning. We offer a thesis or an argument about the content we're sharing. Those are vital skills. The ability to walk people through data and to help them understand your analysis of that material. What field wouldn't appreciate that set of capabilities? And, I think that explains why History Majors tend to do so well in a host of fields and professions. I don't foresee that that will change in the future.
Mary O Borg Ph.D.
Professor, Political Science and DirectorUniversity of North Florida
Department of Political Science & Public Administration
What type of skills will young Assistant Professors Of Political Science need?
Mary O Borg Ph.D.: Critical thinking skills and good communication skills. Both of those are important in a knowledge economy, and both also help people adapt to changing environments, which the pandemic has shown can happen at any time.
What experience really stands out on Assistant Professor Of Political Science resumes?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The experience that most stands out on resumés, to my mind, is definitely internships or anything where the applicant has had to show initiative and exercise independent thought.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Assistant Professors Of Political Science, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
David McMahan Ph.D.: Graduates in Religious Studies don't necessarily go into careers in religion. The standard career path for those involved is going to graduate school, spending several years getting a Ph.D., and facing a tough job market. Starting salaries can vary widely depending on the college or university.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Assistant Professors Of Political Science to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.: There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
Alexander Mouton
Chair, Associate ProfessorSeattle University
Department of Art, Art History & Design
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Assistant Professors Of Political Science?
Alexander Mouton: It is hard to tell how the coronavirus pandemic will affect graduates. Some I know are joining the workforce or doing creative work, which is a good sign. How this will play out will be interesting to see, though it's a little hard for me to judge from the classroom!