Political Science Graduate Alumni Outcomes

Political Science (M.S.) Graduate Program

Alumni Outcomes

Training Scholars. Equipping Change Makers.

At PSU’s Political Science Master's Program (PSMS), we’re committed to equipping our students with the skills and knowledge they need to engage in serious scholarship, tackle important public policy puzzles, and succeed at the highest levels of academia and public service.

Our alumni have gone on to earn PhDs and teach at universities across the country and around the world. They’re lawyers and public policy analysts, researchers and writers, foreign service officers and CEOs. Whether working on the staff of U.S. Senators, leading private companies, practicing law, or spearheading U.S. diplomacy efforts abroad, PSU political science master’s graduates are making a difference and leaving their mark across the globe.

Alumni Stories

“My graduate education helped me gain the academic knowledge and critical thinking skills that have been essential for my work at [the] Congressional Research Service. Those two years that I spent in the political science master’s program gave me the foundation that I needed to thrive in my work for Congress today."

Jessica Tollestrup
Master of Science in Political Science
Class of 2010

“I took an intro to political science course taught by this super animated professor. That class changed my whole life. It helped me put all the pieces together. I sat down and asked myself, ‘What do I want out of all these very different things?’ I wanted to serve my country but also see the world, and I liked history and politics because I thought international relations was interesting. So, I started to wonder: ‘Is there a job out there where I can do it all?’ A big plus of PSU’s political science master’s program is that, because the cohorts of graduate students are so small, you are able to actually get to know the professors. You get to see that they’re not just reading their lectures off of a lesson plan. This is their life. They really enjoy political science and they’re good at teaching it.”

Emily Baker
Master of Science in Political Science
Class of 2020

“I hate to put it this way, but my story with PSU is partly a story of convenience. I can tell you how much I love the faculty or how much I love the political science program, and all those things are true, but honestly PSU can just be really convenient for people who are in a situation like mine—working full time, commuting, and juggling other responsibilities. No matter what direction I take, I know I’m going to keep using the skills I developed at PSU through the master’s program. I’m already putting what I learned at PSU into practice, and I imagine that will only continue.”

Jim Mignano
Master of Science in Political Science
Class of 2020