Jobs you can get
Few political science majors become "political scientists": that title usually means a PhD (BLS). Most work in government, law, nonprofits, media, research and business. Here are common first jobs, what employers ask for and what they pay in New York.
| Job | What you'd do | What they ask for | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative aideSearch for: Legislative Aide, Staff Assistant, Legislative Correspondent | Answer constituents, track bills, write letters and memos, and keep an elected official's office running. | A bachelor's (political science is often named), strong writing, and often a year of office, campaign or internship work. City Council members hire on their own, so contact their offices. Start with: Senate or Assembly session programs, City Council and congressional internships. | $50,000–55,000 in a New York State senator's office (2026 posting). House staff assistants: $60,007 median, $45,000 minimum (Congressional Research Service, 2025). |
| Research assistant or policy associateSearch for: Research Assistant, Research Associate, Staff Associate, Policy Associate | Find and clean data, write literature reviews and briefs, and support senior researchers at a think tank, university or nonprofit. | A social science degree, statistics and data cleaning; R, Stata or Python helps (see Methods and skills). Start with: Brennan Center, Vera, Center for an Urban Future. | $66,300–69,000 for an entry-level staff associate at Columbia's Incite Institute (2026 posting). New York-area median: $65,330 (BLS). |
| ParalegalSearch for: Paralegal, Legal Assistant, Paralegal Aide | Organize case files, draft and file court papers, and track deadlines for lawyers. A common job before law school. | Many employers take a bachelor's in any subject; some want a paralegal certificate. The city's Civilian Complaint Review Board also hires investigators with a bachelor's and strong writing ($49,148 to start). Start with: working as a paralegal, the Legal Studies minor. | $50,198–70,247 for a NYC Law Department paralegal aide (2026 posting). New York-area median: $75,330 (BLS). |
| OrganizerSearch for: Field Organizer, Community Organizer, Tenant Organizer | Recruit and train volunteers, knock on doors, and build tenant or neighborhood groups around a campaign. | Organizing or volunteer experience, often a year; evenings and weekends; a second language such as Spanish helps. Campaigns hire most in the spring and summer of election years, often for a few months. Start with: NYPIRG, Emgage, a local campaign. | $50,480–56,089 for a Bronx housing organizer (2026 posting). Campaign field jobs often pay by the month: $3,000–4,500 on a 2026 State Senate campaign. |
| Communications or press assistantSearch for: Communications Assistant, Press Assistant, Digital Media Coordinator | Draft press releases and social media posts, keep media lists, track news coverage and support the spokesperson. | Clear, fast writing, social media and Microsoft Office, plus writing samples. Start with: the journalism minor, journalism programs. | $78,000 for the ACLU's entry-level communications fellowship; $47,500–52,500 for a State Senate digital media job (2026 postings). New York-area median: $84,130 (BLS). |
| Data analystSearch for: Data Analyst, Research Analyst, Data Visualization Analyst | Clean and analyze program data, and build reports and dashboards for a nonprofit or agency. | Excel plus R, Python or SQL, and a tool like Tableau or Power BI; a year or two of data work is often preferred. Start with: the Commonpoint Data & Insights Fellowship, CUNY Tech Prep, a free Google Data Analytics certificate (Job search tools). | $60,000–65,000 at Coalition for the Homeless; $72,000 for a data visualization analyst at the Bronx District Attorney's office (2026 postings). |
| New York City governmentSearch for: Assistant Analyst, Community Associate, Community Coordinator, Staff Analyst | Analyst, program, outreach and planning jobs in city agencies, from the budget office to City Planning. | Some take just a bachelor's, like the budget office's Assistant Analyst. Community Coordinator and Staff Analyst want a bachelor's plus 2 years, or a master's. Permanent jobs usually need a civil service exam. Start with: Urban Fellows, NYC Civic Corps, the Public Service Corps. | Starting pay in 2026 postings: Assistant Analyst $60,764–77,327; Community Coordinator $62,868; Staff Analyst $62,517; Community Associate $44,545; City Planning research assistant $52,791–79,882. All on NYC Jobs. |
| Federal governmentSearch for: Management Analyst, Political Analyst, and the "Recent graduates" filter on USAJOBS | Program, management and intelligence analysis in federal agencies, many in Washington. | Pathways jobs for recent graduates take you within 2 years of your degree (OPM). Good grades (about a 3.0 overall or 3.5 in your major) can qualify you to start at GS-7. Intelligence jobs need US citizenship and a polygraph, and usually a move to Washington. Start with: CIA, State Department, Partnership for Public Service. | In New York, GS-7 starts at $59,465 and GS-9 at $72,737 (OPM, 2026). The CIA's political analyst job runs from GS-8 to GS-15. |
| ReporterSearch for: Reporter, News Assistant, Editorial Assistant | Report and write the news, from City Hall and Albany to your neighborhood. | Clips: two or more published stories. Knowing local politics helps; the student paper and internships count. Start with: the journalism minor, POLITICO, the Newmark 4+1. | $66,500–72,000 for an early-career City Hall reporter at City & State (2026 posting). National median: $62,200 (BLS). |
| TeacherSearch for: NYC Teaching Fellows, Teach For America, Social Studies Teacher | Teach middle or high school. | NYC Teaching Fellows has no social studies track for 2027, but its special education tracks take a bachelor's in any subject (2.5 GPA). Teaching social studies takes a teacher preparation program. Start with: Teach For America, City Year. | NYC public schools start at $71,314 with a bachelor's and $80,166 with a master's (NYC Public Schools, 2026). |
| Compliance associateSearch for: Compliance Associate, Compliance Analyst | Run background and conflict-of-interest checks, review filings and make sure an organization follows the rules. | A bachelor's, careful reading and Excel. Good preparation for law school. | $75,000 at the NYC Council (2026 posting). New York-area median: $101,050 (BLS). |
| Consulting analystSearch for: Business Analyst, Government and Public Services Analyst | Research a client's problem, build models and slide decks, often for government agencies. | Big firms recruit a year ahead, in the fall of senior year, and set GPA cutoffs (3.2 at Deloitte). Government work can mean a security clearance and a lot of travel. | $88,000–91,000 for a Deloitte government analyst (2026 posting). |
| Government affairsSearch for: Government Affairs Associate, Public Affairs Associate | Research policy for clients, draft memos and talking points, track bills and pitch reporters. | Usually 1–3 years in government, often as legislative staff, so it is more often a second job. Research, writing and trips to Albany. | $60,000–70,000 for an associate at a public affairs firm (2026 posting). |
| Survey or market research analystSearch for: Research Analyst (polling or market research) | Write questionnaires, run surveys, analyze the results and present them. | A bachelor's in an analytical field (liberal arts counts), statistics, Excel and PowerPoint; Qualtrics helps. | $55,500–65,500 for an Ipsos research analyst in New York (2026 posting). National median: $78,760 (BLS). |
Pay comes from job postings in New York in 2026 and from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS medians cover every experience level (New York area), so first-year pay is usually lower. Postings close; search the titles above for current ones.
Where to look
- HireQC (Handshake). Employers looking for Queens College students.
- NYC Jobs and StateJobsNY. City and state government. Check the civil service exam schedule early; many permanent city jobs need one.
- USAJOBS. Federal jobs. Filter by "Recent graduates" in the two years after you finish.
- City & State Jobs. New York politics: legislative offices, campaigns, advocacy and government affairs.
- Idealist. Nonprofit jobs and fellowships. More tools in Job search tools.
At Queens College
- Center for Career Engagement and Internships. Résumé reviews, mock interviews, career fairs and the FOCUS 2 career assessment. Frese Hall 213; book a career educator on QC Navigate.
- Political Science internships. Earn credit for an internship, including full-time spring semesters in Albany with a stipend.
- The department's brochure. Its "What kind of jobs can I get" section lists where majors go.
- APSA's student resources. Careers in law, government, campaigns, journalism, nonprofits, business and teaching.
Get experience while you're in school.
Almost every posting above asks for writing, data skills or a year of related work. An internship, a campus job or a research job with a professor counts. Not sure which job fits you? Try the prompts in Using AI the right way, then check what it says with the career center.