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Do you have to go to graduate school?  Is teaching the only thing you can do? 

The short answer to both of these is NO. Check out the other pages here for advice on how to find jobs straight out of college in general or in international affairs particularly.  But you need to know that "graduate school" can mean three very different things, three very different options. 

1. One is the academic track, culminating in the Ph.D., which usually leads to teaching at the college level and becoming a research scholar in political science.  This track is the one your professors took, a long and demanding road with little tangible or short-term reward.  Getting a Ph.D. usually requires six to seven years of education after college but salaries rarely reflect this.  Yet it's also deeply satisfying to shape young minds and seek knowledge in a flexible setting. 

2. Law school, because the Ph.D. track is not for everyone and is not your only option.  Many political science students naturally gravitate toward law school, and this, too, is a high calling.  The world needs Christian lawyers with good character more than ever.  Dr. Bowden, Dr. Waalkes, or any of the professors in the department can offer you advice on careers in law.

3. But going to graduate school doesn’t mean you have to become an academic.  And law school isn't the only "practical" track.  You can also pursue graduate study in M.A. programs oriented toward professional fields:   International Affairs, Campaign Management, and Public Administration or Public Policy.

Degrees in these fields are designed to give you the practical tools you will need to work either in government, private organizations, or political campaigns: these are degrees in applied political science.  Although academic reputation matters in these programs (you do want to get a degree from a known and accredited institution), you really want to know whether a school offers relevant training, allows plenty of internships, and will help place you after graduation.  Ask people at the school about the percentages of students who find work and about what their placement office does to help them.