Overview
Political Science is the systematic study of politics, government, and power. It examines how political systems are organised, how public policies are made, how states interact with one another, and how political ideas shape societies. The discipline combines empirical research with theoretical analysis, training students to understand the forces that drive political events—from elections and diplomacy to social movements and institutional design.
The curriculum covers comparative politics (how different countries govern), international relations (war, peace, trade, and diplomacy), political theory (justice, liberty, and the legitimacy of authority), and public policy (how governments design and implement solutions to social problems). Students also develop strong research skills through qualitative methods, quantitative analysis, and case study approaches.
Political science graduates pursue diverse careers in government service, diplomacy, journalism, think tanks, international organisations, and the non-profit sector. The degree's emphasis on critical thinking, persuasive writing, and understanding institutional complexity also makes graduates well-suited for law school, management consulting, and corporate government affairs roles.
Political science programmes at the world's leading universities reflect markedly different intellectual traditions. Harvard's Government Department benefits from its close ties to the Kennedy School of Government, offering students direct exposure to policy practitioners and quantitative political analysis. Oxford's iconic Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) programme has produced more world leaders than perhaps any other degree, emphasising the interplay between political theory and practical governance. Sciences Po in Paris provides a distinctly European perspective with mandatory international exchange and strong emphasis on comparative politics, while LSE excels in political economy and international governance. Yale's Political Science Department is particularly strong in political theory and American politics, with a tradition of influential scholarship on democracy and institutions.
In Singapore
In Singapore's context, courses often focus on Asian governance, ASEAN politics, and the city-state's unique model of development.
In Singapore, the public service attracts top political science graduates to agencies like MFA, PMO, and various statutory boards.
Career Outcomes & Salary
What jobs can I get and how much will I earn?
$42,000–$65,000 (US) / £26,000–£38,000 (UK) / A$50,000–$70,000 (AU)
$65,000–$120,000 (US) / £40,000–£75,000 (UK) / A$75,000–$120,000 (AU)
$100,000–$200,000+ (US, senior policy, consulting, or academic roles)
Stable with growth in data-driven policy analysis and technology policy. Government and think tank roles remain steady. Emerging demand in tech company policy teams, ESG analysis, and disinformation research. Academic positions are competitive but available.
What You'll Learn
Core topics and skills covered in this degree
Is This Right For Me?
Honest self-assessment to help you decide
You'll thrive if...
- ✓You’re fascinated by how power works—who has it, how they got it, how they use it, and how institutions constrain or enable it
- ✓You enjoy debating ideas seriously and can engage with viewpoints you strongly disagree with
- ✓You want to understand why some countries are democratic and others authoritarian, why some policies succeed and others fail
- ✓You like both reading political theory (abstract ideas about justice and governance) and analyzing real-world political data
- ✓You want a degree that develops rigorous analytical and research skills applicable across multiple career paths
Might not be for you if...
- ●You conflate political science with having political opinions—the discipline is about analysis, not advocacy
- ●You find political theory and abstract conceptual debates tedious—they form a significant part of the curriculum
- ●You want highly technical or quantitative training—political science uses some quantitative methods but is not as mathematical as economics or data science
- ●You want an immediately vocational degree with a clear career destination—political science opens many doors but doesn’t lock you into one
- ●You’re uncomfortable with the reality that political questions rarely have objectively correct answers
A Day in the Life
What a typical week actually looks like
A typical week in Year 2 of a political science programme combines theoretical rigor with empirical analysis. Monday starts with a comparative politics lecture examining why some democracies consolidate while others revert to authoritarianism—today’s cases are Hungary’s democratic backsliding under Orbán and South Korea’s successful democratization. Your professor uses Linz and Stepan’s framework for democratic consolidation, and the data on institutional strength versus popular support creates a lively classroom debate about what democracy actually requires to survive. After lunch, a quantitative methods lab has you running logistic regression models in R to predict voter turnout based on demographic and institutional variables.
Tuesday features a political theory lecture on Rawls’s Theory of Justice and its critics—Nozick from the libertarian right and communitarians like Sandel from a different direction entirely. The seminar debate about whether the “veil of ignorance” is a useful thought experiment or a philosophically bankrupt abstraction gets genuinely heated. Wednesday brings an international politics module examining alliance formation and NATO’s evolving purpose after the Cold War, with today’s focus on whether NATO expansion provoked or deterred Russian aggression—the class splits roughly along realist and liberal lines. Your group assignment is writing a policy brief on European security architecture for 2030.
Thursday has a public policy lecture analyzing healthcare reform through the lens of Kingdon’s multiple streams framework—why some policy windows open and others don’t, and how political entrepreneurs exploit moments of crisis. The case study is the Affordable Care Act, and tracing the politics from 1993’s failed Clinton plan through 2010’s passage reveals how institutions, interests, and ideas interact to produce policy change. Friday is a research design seminar where you’re developing your dissertation proposal—you’re studying the effect of electoral systems on women’s representation across 30 countries, and your professor is pushing you to be more precise about your independent variables and causal mechanisms. Weekends involve reading journal articles (APSR, AJPS, or BJPS), finishing problem sets for your methods course, and refining your policy brief.
High School Preparation
What to study and do before university
Skills to Develop
- •Follow current affairs analytically—don’t just know what’s happening, practice explaining why using structural, institutional, and behavioural frameworks
- •Read foundational political texts—start with accessible works like Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order, Acemoglu & Robinson’s Why Nations Fail, or Mill’s On Liberty
- •Develop quantitative reasoning—political science increasingly uses data and statistics; comfort with numbers strengthens your profile
- •Practice structured essay writing with thesis-evidence-analysis format—the ability to construct and defend an argument is the core political science skill
Extracurriculars
- •Join debate clubs and Model United Nations—these directly develop the argumentation and analytical skills political science requires
- •Volunteer on political campaigns or with civic organizations—understanding how politics works in practice complements academic study
- •Write analytical pieces about politics for school publications or a personal blog—showing you can analyze rather than just opine
- •Attend public lectures on politics and governance at local universities or think tanks
- •Engage with electoral processes—voter registration drives, campaign analysis, or following election data
How This Compares to Similar Majors
Side-by-side with related fields
General Preparation
These recommendations cover general preparation across Singapore universities. Specific programme requirements may differ—detailed per-programme requirements coming soon.
IB Diploma
- •History HL (strongly recommended)
- •Economics HL (recommended)
- •English A HL (helpful)
- •Mathematics AA/AI SL minimum
A-Level
- •H2 History or H2 Economics (at least one recommended)
- •H1 General Paper (excellent grade expected)
- •H2 Mathematics (helpful)
AP
- •AP US/Comparative Government (recommended)
- •AP World History (helpful)
- •AP English Language (recommended)
IGCSE
- •History (recommended)
- •English (A*/A)
- •Economics (helpful)
Skills & Aptitudes
NUS IB / A-Level admission requirements:NUS Admissions
NTU IB / A-Level admission requirements:NTU Admissions
SMU admission requirements:SMU Admissions
Where to Study in Singapore
Similar Majors
Considering this major beyond Singapore?
View the global university major guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you study in Political Science?
Political Science is the systematic study of politics, government, and power. It examines how political systems are organised, how public policies are made, how states interact with one another, and how political ideas shape societies. The discipline combines empirical research with theoretical analysis, training students to understand the forces that drive…
What can you do after a Political Science degree?
Typical entry-level roles: Policy Analyst, Legislative Assistant, Campaign Staffer, Research Associate—Think Tank, Government Analyst (starting salary $42,000–$65,000 (US) / £26,000–£38,000 (UK) / A$50,000–$70,000 (AU)). Key industries: Government & Public Service, Think Tanks & Policy Research, Political Campaigns & Consulting, International Organizations, Consulting. Stable with growth in data-driven policy analysis and technology policy. Government and think tank roles remain steady. Emerging demand in tech company policy t…
Which high-school courses prepare you for Political Science?
Recommended IB courses: HL Global Politics or HL History, HL Economics, HL English A: Language and Literature; Recommended AP courses: AP US Government & Politics, AP Comparative Government & Politics, AP US History or AP World History; Recommended A-Levels: Politics or Government, History, Economics or Sociology.
Ready to prepare for Political Science?
Our tutors can help strengthen your English and academic skills for your target program.