Do you have a passion for politics?

It’s time to consider a career in professional political management.

Campaign management takes a broad range of skills and makes them work together to participate in politics. From developing a strategy to managing a campaign office, fundraising to speechwriting, and designging media messages to meeting people, political campaigning is a field as exciting as it is fun.

Political campaigning is also a business that is growing by leaps and bounds. Hundreds of political consulting firms are hiring. Political parties and interest groups want experts in politics for their campaigning needs. Newspapers and television news networks need knowledgeable reporters to cover the political news of the day.

Whatever you’re into, whether it’s graphic design, advertising, political strategy, research, lobbying, or writing about politics, we can help you prepare for a career in the thrilling world of politics. The Political Management emphasis in the Fort Hays State University Department of Political Science and Justice Studies trains you in the theory and practice of political campaigning in a hands-on environment with experienced professors and exciting courses.

If you have ever thought about being a part of politics, then the Political Management major is for you!

• Run for political office, from the school board to the Senate
• Work for a political consulting firm in:
  • Campaign management
  • Political Strategy
  • Campaign finance
  • Strategic research
  • Media buying and production
  • Lobbying strategies
• Become a campaign manager for political candidates
• Work for a political party
• Become a political journalist or columnist
• Work for government at any level in
  • Ballot measure promotion
  • Research
  • Compliance with campaign laws
• Work for an interest group or non-profit organization as a lobbyist
• Do research analysis for a government, interest group, party, or business
• Start your own consulting firm

Your career options are limited only by the boundaries of public service!

Don’t think you have to go into professional politics with your degree, either. With your Political Science major students can teach, pursue graduate degrees, attend law school, or work for private business. Political skills are job skills.

Fort Hays State University, a respected innovator in education, has the only program in professional political management in Kansas and surrounding states. You will find no dedicated undergraduate program in professional politics at any other institution in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, or Oklahoma.

We feature faculty with experience as academics, attorneys, researchers, and political consultants. With expertise, an emphasis on small class sizes, hands-on learning, and reasonable tuition, Fort Hays State provides your best opportunity for success at affordable tuition. With the state’s lowest tuition increases for two years running, you can get a quality education at a reasonable cost.

Check out our Curriculum Options (in Adobe .pdf format)

Learning about politics isn’t just about books and classrooms. Learning politics happens in campaign offices, at fundraising events, during press conferences, at party headquarters. Students in the FHSU Political Science department intern, to apply the knowledge they take from the classroom into real-world political situations.

Recent internship placements include U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Ben Nelson (D-NE) as well as the official offices of Congressmen Jerry Moran (R-KS) Dennis Moore (R-KS) and Todd Tihart (R-KS). Other political management students have interned at the Republican and Democratic National Committees as well.

Our graduates have gone on to work in the field for the North Carolina Democratic Party, Senator Pat Roberts' campaign, Congressman Jerry Moran, and the Kansas Republican and Democratic parties.

Students have also taken staff positions with Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley (D) and Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh (R).

The career opportunities are many. Learn and connect with Political Management at FHSU.

Interested in more information? Call, or e-mail: Dr. Chapman Rackaway Department of Political Science 316 Rarick Hall 600 Park Street Hays, KS 67601 Phone: 785-628-5391 Fax: 785-628-4162 Email: crackawa@fhsu.edu