How to Become a Psephologist?

Ever wondered how elections take place and what are the dynamics of the entire election process? Well, if the process of electoral politics interests you, then psephology is the correct choice of subject for you. Or if you’re interested in Politics then too Psephology might be the right career choice for you. You must not have heard of it that much in practise but it is a course taken up by students of political science who wish to know more about the election process. In this blog, we shall discuss how to become a psephologist and its scope abroad as well as in India.

What is Psephology?

Psephology, is a branch of Political Science that deals with the scientific explanation of the election process and balloting. The purpose of psephology is to provide a detailed quantitative analysis of elections. There are various tools used in psephology for the statistical analysis of election data, these include – voting data, opinion poll, campaigning information and other related data. An individual who practises psephology is known as a Psephologist.

How to Become a Psephologist?

Are you interested in establishing a career in Psephology, we have listed few steps below that you must follow:

• Students who wish to become a psephologist must primarily complete schooling and XIIth from a recognised board.
• For undergrad, students must pursue BA/BSc in Political Science, Sociology or any other related subject.
• Once students have completed their undergrad, they can pursue a master’s degree in politics and apply for related internships.
• Often students go for a PhD for better understanding of the electoral system and processes.
• Now with the relevant degrees, students are ready to pursue a career in psephology. They might first start off by working at a media house and then go on to establish a career in psephology entirely.

Eligibility

To become a psephologist, students must meet the following eligibility criteria –

• Students must hold a postgrad degree in political science,sociology or other related subjects.
• Students with a doctorate degree are considered to be even more eligible for the role of a psephologist.
• Student’s must have a statistician’s eye for details that focuses on election patterns and voting patterns.
• Additionally, students must also have a good understanding of the breakup of the population.
• They must keep aside their political allegiances while working as a psephologist.

Top BA Political Science Colleges in India

If you’re planning to pursue a career in psephology, the first step would be to join a college for undergrad in political sciences. We have listed some of the top colleges in India offering BA Political Science. 

• Lady Shri Ram, Delhi
• St.Xavier’s College, Mumbai
• Christ University, Bangalore
• Miranda House, Delhi
• Presidency College, Chennai
• Madras Christian College, Chennai
• Hindu College, Delhi
• Fergusson College, Pune
• KJ Somaiyya, Mumbai

Top Political Science Universities Abroad

Now let’s have a look at few of the top political science universities abroad that interested students can apply to :

QS 2021 RANKING	UNIVERSITY
1	Harvard University
2	Sciences Po
3	University of Oxford
4	University of Princeton
5	London School of Economics and Political Science
6	University of Cambridge
7	University of Stanford
8	Yale University
9	Australian National University
10	National University of Singapore

Popular Courses

For pursuing psephology, students preferably should hold a degree in the following few courses:

Bachelors	Masters	PhD
BA in Political Science	MA in Political Science	Politics
BSc in Political Science	MSc in Political Science	Political Research
BA in Sociology	MA in Sociology	Political Parties
BSc in Sociology	MSc  in Sociology

Job Prospects

Although the job prospects in political sciences are not too many, there are several agencies that particularly look for psephologists. We have listed down a few below:

• Media Houses
• Print Media
• Magazines
• Research Agencies
• Academic Institutions
• Political Parties

With an ever-increasing number of news channels and magazines devoting huge realms to elections, the Psephologist is more in demand these days. Especially during the election period. Nowadays with elections being organised in every state regularly, psephologists are in demand the whole year. Otherwise, also they are officially tied up with media houses to write columns and articles pertaining to election results, their consequences etc. Research agencies and institutions also employ Psephologists.

Related Reads

• How to Make a Sure-Shot Career in Political Science
• Public Administration Vs Political Science
• Best Political Science Books
• Political Economics

So, this was all about How to become a Psephologist. Hope you found this blog insightful and informative. Get in touch with our Leverage Edu experts for assistance throughout the application process.