Political Scientist As A Job Title?

August 4, 2012 7:12 AM

Can "Political Scientist" be a non-academic job title?

I have a PhD in political science, but I am not in academia. Instead, I conduct political research and writing for a non-profit. Essentially, I do the same work as a political science professor at a research university, but I do it outside the Ivory Tower.

Given that I have obvious biases toward what "political scientist" means, I would love Ask.Metafilter's help with a question: When people ask me what I do, is "political scientist" an accurate description or does that falsely imply that I am a professor?

Thanks in advance!

posted by Spurious to Work & Money (12 answers total)

Response by poster: Edit: I should also say that, in my head, I think of myself as a political scientist that just happens to not work for a university.
posted by Spurious at 7:15 AM on August 4, 2012

I think of the people who work at The Centre for International Governance Innovation as political scientists, not professors. The Centre is loosely affiliated with two universities and independent of both.

Given I've spent the last 15 years of my career working for a university, I'm more likely than Alex Average to unthinkingly distinguish between "guy who has an advanced degree and uses it to earn a living" and "professor at a university or college". If you were to tell me you're a political scientist, I'd tend to assume "think tank" rather than "ivory tower".
posted by thatdawnperson at 7:26 AM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Political scientists work at research institutes, for the government, in think tanks, can be consultants for firms or media, work for NPO's and so on. As long as the work is within the discipline of political science, it's an adequate job title.
posted by travelwithcats at 7:58 AM on August 4, 2012

Like thatdawnperson, I don't see a big difference between someone with an advanced degree who uses it to make a living outside of academia and a professor making a living at a university/college.

I know what a "professor" does, but if you told me that you are a "political scientist", I would still be wondering what it is you do, exactly. However, if you said you are a "Research Fellow" at "Whatever Institute", I would assume you do research and writing.
posted by she's not there at 8:00 AM on August 4, 2012

I'm an ecologist who happens to be a biology professor. If I worked in government or consulting or for a non-profit, I would still be an ecologist because that's the field I have my PhD in. I don't see why political science should be any different.
posted by hydropsyche at 8:00 AM on August 4, 2012

Oops, make that "Unlike thatdawnperson..."
posted by she's not there at 8:05 AM on August 4, 2012

I'm a political scientist who happens to work in academia but that's not the only place (or even the primary place) where political scientists are employed. If I were trying to make clear that I'm an academic, I would probably describe myself as a professor of political science since I wouldn't assume that "political scientist" necessarily implied as much.
posted by Wisco72 at 8:13 AM on August 4, 2012

Yes, you are a political scientist, and no, that doesn't falsely imply that you're a professor. At APSA, there are political scientists who have day jobs in universities or research institutes.

Consider Louis Fisher, who spent decades as a prolific and important author while working for the Library of Congress.
posted by Fichereader at 9:13 AM on August 4, 2012

There is the same distinction in sociology. Sociologists work in a variety of fields. People might assume a sociologist works in academia because that's where the majority are. This doesn't mean, however, that the sociologists who work for NGOs, the government, tink tanks aren't sociologists. So call yourself a political scientist. That is what you do and what's written on your diploma.
posted by Milau at 9:20 AM on August 4, 2012

Political scientist is an accurate description of what you do, but not a lot of people are going to know what that entails.

You might find it easier, misconception-avoidey, or followup-question-avoidey to say that you're a research analyst for a nonprofit. I mean, I'm a political scientist at a university, but I usually answer with "I teach at the university."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:45 AM on August 4, 2012

Nthing the "political science is what you do" responses. You don't need to work at a university to be a political scientist. All manner of think tanks, for example, employ political scientists doing much the same work that they'd be doing if employed as a research professor at a university.
posted by asnider at 12:50 PM on August 4, 2012

I don't think it's misleading at all, as long as what you do has comparable rigor.

I work in higher education communications, if it matters.
posted by elizeh at 12:53 PM on August 4, 2012