Political science programs range from associate's degrees to doctoral degrees; the type of degree program you choose should depend on what your career goals are. Students of other majors also typically take political science courses to fulfill their general education requirements. Some students in majors such as journalism may also minor in political science to supplement their education and make themselves more viable job candidates with an area of specialty. There are many things you can learn by studying political science and many career options that may be open to you with this type of education.Political science courses teach more than just politics. On a basic level, you will gain an understanding of how our political system works and how other political systems throughout the world have worked. You will also learn the histories of all these systems to gain a broad understanding of how things came to be the way they are. You will learn about legal systems and judicial systems. During the completion of a political science program, you will also gain valuable critical thinking skills, learn how to communicate effectively and learn how to conduct thorough research with a high level of accuracy.Students of political science programs may go on to become politicians, political pundits, press secretaries, lawyers or judges. They may also become teachers, journalists or take completely different career paths that have little to do with the political world. Some of these jobs may also require additional education such as law school, but the political science degree forms a solid foundation to start from. Since political science courses require a great deal of researching, writing, critical thinking and analysis, the skills gained in these programs could apply to numerous fields.Political science programs are useful for anyone who wants a career in politics or in the legal field, but these degrees are useful for many other career goals as well. If you have an interest in how our world's societal structures work and a knack for doing research and thinking critically, this could be an ideal major for you. And if you're undecided, you could always take a political science course to see how you like it.