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Navigating Your Future

Our goal is to help you make a positive impact on your community, and getting a great start to your career can be a big step in making that goal a reality. Valpo alumni have found amazing jobs across numerous fields, and we want to add your story to our list of successful starts.  

Career Paths in Social Sciences

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Be part of an ongoing success story. Valpo economics alumni have joined the workforce in the public and private sector and have gone on to law school, MBA programs, and Ph.D. programs. Some roles Valpo alumni have filled include:

  • Economist, Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Financial analyst
  • Legislative assistant, U.S. House of Representatives
  • Quantitative consultant
  • Data analytics coordinator

Whether you’re aiming to make a difference in the government, the finance world, or almost any other sector,, an economics degree from Valpo can help you get a strong start to your career. 

Learn more about careers in economics from the American Economic Association.

  • A degree in political science qualifies you for much more than just employment with the government. With political science, you can pursue a career in law, consulting, media, advocacy, nonprofit work, and more. You can also pursue graduate studies, including law school. 

Career paths of recent Valpo political science graduates include:

  • Legislative assistant, U.S. Senate
  • City planning, City of North Chicago
  • Chief of staff, Illinois State Representative Office
  • Senior analyst, U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • Partner, Faegre Drinker (international law firm)

Our College of Arts and Sciences has a 97.5% rate of students finding employment or enrolling in graduate education within nine months of receiving their degree, and we want you to be the latest chapter in that success story.

  • Graduates from sociology and criminology have found meaningful employment and further education across the country. Many have gone on to law and graduate studies at institutions like Loyola University in Chicago, DePaul University, University of Michigan, the University of Illinois, and many more.

Career paths of recent sociology and criminology graduates include:

  • Litigator, Husch Blackwell
  • Technical security, U.S. Secret Service
  • Program director, Indiana Department of Child Services
  • Assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Bureau, Office of the Illinois Attorney General
  • Criminal intelligence analyst, Lake County Sheriff’s Department
  • Evaluation project coordinator, Violence Recovery Program, University of Chicago Medicine
  • Adult probation officer, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services

In addition to careers in the justice system, sociology and criminology alumni can be found educating others in Teach for America and analyzing intelligence for the Army National Guard.

Valparaiso University Alumni and Career Network

Get career advice, support with your resume, or assistance exploring the right career path for you with Valpo’s Career and Alumni Network. 

Contact the Department

Valparaiso University’s School of Social Sciences welcomes inquiries from prospective students, fellow researchers, and community members. 

James Old, Ph.D.
Director, School of Social Sciences

Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

school Of Social Sciences

Arts and Sciences Building, Room 352
1400 Chapel Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383

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