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Political scientists are broadly positioned. For example, you work in the media, public administration or institutions such as the
Bundestag
or the state parliaments.
They are also in demand with market and opinion research institutes, non-governmental organizations, trade unions and foundations.
Is political science right for me?
The University of Jena offers a self-test.
Jonas Wenzig, 23, studied political science as a bachelor at the University of Bamberg. He is now in the second semester of an international double master’s degree in Essex and Bamberg. He would actually be in England right now, but because of the
corona pandemic
, he is living with his parents again and studying online.
Here he reports why he chose political science and how he found his favorite seminar.
The decision to study
"In retrospect, I would recommend reading the module manuals from the universities."
“In upper school I had advanced courses in biology and history. I especially enjoyed history. I was driven by the question of how social change affects the political process, i.e. which factors determine political decisions, and also what consequences these have. That's why I decided to study political science.
When choosing a university, I used the CHE university ranking as a guide, Bamberg was way up there.
In retrospect, however, I would recommend reading the module manuals from the universities.
These are confusing at first glance, but they help to find out which topics you will encounter in the lectures.
I didn't do it myself, but I was lucky: In Bamberg the focus is on empirical social research, which is now a hobby of mine. "
Content and structure of the course
"The ideal student reads all texts - the committed and realistic student often only reads the necessary."
»Anyone who studies political science learns to analyze, to abstract and to establish causal relationships on the basis of theories.
For example, we examined the influence of welfare state regimes on the gender wage gap, i.e. on the wage gap between women and men.
Or what role parties and electoral systems play in political decision-making.
In the third semester, I started working as a student assistant at the professorship for empirical political science.
The professor recommended that I take a quantitative methods seminar, which quickly became one of my favorite seminars.
By the way, you don't have to have been an ace in maths in school: You can quickly acquire the knowledge you need for your studies.
I learned to code and calculate statistical models. So I was able to do small analyzes myself in my homework and the bachelor thesis. That's why I decided on the double master's degree in Bamberg and Essex, which also has an empirical focus. In addition, I hadn't done an Erasmus during my bachelor's degree and wanted to go abroad. "
»You can largely decide yourself about the workload during your studies. For me, the lectures totaled about twelve hours a week. In addition, we had to read a lot of texts. Of course, the ideal student reads all the texts - the committed and realistic student often only reads the necessary ones, at some point you get a feeling for that. There are good techniques to quickly grasp a text and then decide whether you really need it for a term paper, for example. The classic variant is to read the short summary, the introduction and the conclusion and leave out everything else.
In general, self-organization and one's own drive to learn are very important.
You can take a lot more with you from your studies if you go beyond the mandatory requirements.
For example, I got involved in university politics and in university groups.
I learned a lot about political administration there.
In addition, college groups are a great way to make friends and interact with older students. "
Career prospects after graduation
"It is my dream to work as a research assistant for a member of the Bundestag."
»Political scientists do not have a clear job profile like doctors or lawyers.
You should therefore start thinking about your future job by the middle of your bachelor's degree at the latest.
Internships are the best way to find out what profession you want to take up later.
It is my dream to work as a research assistant for a member of the Bundestag.
But if that doesn't work, there are many other options.
In my master’s program, for example, I want to do an internship in a political consultancy.
And I could also imagine doing a doctorate. "
