Women and underrepresented minorities have higher tenure-track placement rates in the political science job market

Securing a tenure-track academic position is a coveted goal for doctoral graduates, yet the process is notoriously challenging. A recent study of the political science job market reveals that factors such as a candidate's university prestige and academic background do not reliably predict whether they will obtain a professorship.

Instead, the research indicates that having a robust publication record, focusing on high-demand fields, and being a female or an underrepresented minority candidate significantly increases the likelihood of landing a tenure-track academic job.

A tenure-track professorship is a teaching and research position at a university, with potential for long-term tenure. The academic job market is highly competitive, with an overabundance of new graduates competing for limited openings. Earlier research has pointed to a hierarchical prestige system, where only a select few elite universities produce the majority of professors.

Another study from 2025 found that the top 20 percent of political science programs accounted for 75 percent of tenure-track faculty positions in U.S. doctoral departments, while the bottom half contributed less than 5 percent.

While previous studies have suggested that graduating from a top-tier university is the key to landing an academic job, this approach overlooks important nuances. Larger graduate programs at elite universities naturally produce more job applicants, and studies focusing solely on doctoral departments miss out on approximately 80 percent of faculty positions at colleges and universities offering lower-level degrees.

Scott W. Desposato, a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, argues that past research has been flawed by its reliance on elite university statistics. He likens this approach to assessing fitness based on Olympic medal winners, which fails to consider the broader, more representative picture.

To gain a more accurate understanding of the hiring process, Desposato examined the outcomes of 413 political science candidates during the 2023-2024 hiring cycle. About 26 percent of these candidates secured tenure-track professorships within a year. Contrary to expectations, the prestige of the university where a candidate earned their degree had no significant impact on their hiring success.

Placement rates were consistent across departments, with the top 10 programs placing 25 percent of their candidates and those ranked 71st or lower placing 35 percent.

The study found that lower-ranked programs were underrepresented in the data, as only 13 of the 60 lower-ranked departments listed candidates online. The University of Missouri, ranked lowest among the sample, placed nine out of its 16 candidates, while the remaining group placed just five out of 24 candidates. While institutional rank does not determine whether a candidate receives a job offer, it does influence the type of position they secure.