As a government major, you’ll learn how to think and write rigorously and creatively about issues of public life. You’ll have the choice of courses in four subfields: American politics (the political behavior, policies and institutions of the U.S.), comparative politics (the institutions and political processes of other nations), political theory and philosophy (normative theories of politics and history of political thought) and international relations (transactions between states, international organizations and transnational actors).
Requirements
Want to start right away? Here are some basic requirements for students wanting to major in government. Keep in mind this isn’t the complete list of formal requirements — that list can be found on the Courses of Study page.
To complete the major, you need to:
- Take two of the introductory government courses in the subfields of American Government (AM), Comparative Politics (CP), Political Theory (PT), and International Relations (IR) (GOVT 1111, GOVT 1313, GOVT 1615, GOVT 1616 or GOVT 1817)
- Take an additional course in a third subfield: American Government, Comparative Politics, Political Theory or International Relations. You're strongly advised to take at least one course in each of the four subfields.
- Take an additional 28 credits of government course work at the 2000-level or above.
- Complete at least one seminar-style course in government (which can be applied toward the 28 credits).
Sample classes
- Sex, Power and Politics
- Issues Behind the News
- Racial and Ethnic Politics
- Secession, Intervention and Just-War Theory
Outcomes
All information below is based on the 2018 First-Destination Survey. Lists are not exhaustive; rather, they are a sampling of the data. If you would like more information, please email as_careers@cornell.edu
70% Employed
17% Attending Grad School
6% Seeking Employment
6% Other
81% of the Class of 2018 Government graduates completed the survey. n = 93
Below, you will find:
- Top Employment Sectors
- Where Graduates Work
- Top Graduate Fields
- Where Graduates Study
Top Employment Sectors
- Consulting/Prof. Practice (18%)
- Law (18%)
- Financial Services (15%)
- Nonprofit Organization (13%)
- Government (10%)
- Education (6%)
- Communications/Media (4%), Business-Other (4%), Technology (4%)
Where 2018 Government Graduates Work
| Employer | Job Titles |
|---|---|
| Abt Associates | Research Assistant |
| Agency for the Performing Arts | Agent Trainee |
| American Enterprise Institute | Media Relations/Marketing Coordinator |
| American Israel Public Affairs Committee | Fellow |
| Atlantic Media | Editorial Fellow |
| Bank of America Merrill Lynch | Global Risk Analyst Risk Analyst |
| BlackRock | Legal Analyst Analyst |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | Defense Research Analyst |
| CEB | Research Analyst |
| Center for Investigative Reporting | Intern |
| Comcast/NBCUniversal | Ad Sales Associate |
| Cracath, Swaine, & Moore LLP | Legal Assistant |
| Credit Suisse | Sales & Trading Analyst |
| Deloitte Consulting | Federal Strategy & Operations Business Analyst Federal Business Analyst |
| EY | Analyst |
| Fragomen Del Ray | Assistant Paralegal |
| Gap, Inc. | Inventory Management Analyst |
| Gartner | Research Specialist |
| Goldman Sachs | Legal Analyst |
| Good2bSocial | Digital Marketing Coordinator |
| IBM | Digital Sales Specialist |
| ideas42 | Associate |
| International Crisis Group | Intern |
| Irell & Manella LLP | Litigation Clerk (Paralegal) |
| Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff, & Cohen, PC | Paralegal |
| Korn Ferry | Organizational Strategy Analyst |
| Latham & Watkins |
Business Analyst |
| Lazard | Investment Banking Analyst |
| Major League Baseball | Labor Relations Intern |
| Manhattan District Attorney | Paralegal |
| Marcus & Milichap | Investment Sales Associate |
| MarketsandMarkets | Associate |
| Metric Theory | SEM Analyst |
| Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, & McCloy | Litigation Legal Assistant |
| Morgan Stanley | Full-Time Analyst |
| New York District Attorney's Office | Paralegal |
| New York State Attorney General | Legal Support Analyst |
| Nomura | Investment Banking Analyst |
| NYC Economics Development Corporation | Initiatives Project Support Coordinator |
| Oracle Corporation | Business Development Consultant |
| Paul Weiss | Litigation Paralegal |
| Republic Services | Leadership Trainee |
| Sher Tremonte LLP | Paralegal |
| Sightline Institute | Research Associate |
| Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom LLP | Legal Assistant |
| TD Securities | Investment banking Analyst |
| The Expert Institute | Research Analyst |
| Tracy Mitrano for Congress | Deputy Campaign Manager |
| United States Army | 2nd Lieutenant |
| United States Navy | Student Naval Aviator |
| Vcheck Global | Analyst |
| Venture for America | Fellow |
| Wayfair | Business Associate |
| Wellesley College Investment Office | Investment Analyst |
| Western Riverside Council of Governments | Public Service Fellow |
Top Graduate Fields Pursued
- Law (69%)
- Government (13%)
- East Asian Studies (6%)
- Public Administration (6%)
- Psychology (6%)
Graduate Degrees Pursued
- JD (63%)
- MA (19%)
- PhD (13%)
- Certificate/License (6%)
Where 2018 Government Graduates Study
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- CUNY Graduate School and University Center
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- New York University
- Seoul National University
- Stanford University
- The University of Law (UK)
- The University of Texas at Austin
- University of California-Berkeley
- University of California-Los Angeles
- Yeshiva University
