1. Zach Rollins
Entrepreneurial Media
27 March 2014
The Belmont Political Scientist
The Belmont political scientist is a part of a program which makes up only about 0.57%
of the student body at Belmont. With roughly 40 declared majors in a student body of more than
6,900, Belmont's political scientist is certainly in the minority (“Department of Political
Science”). The Belmont political scientist is a male and a senior. He graduated near the top of his
high school class, and applied to Belmont with a higher-than-average ACT score, around 25. He
is engaged and aware of current events, news, and politics, obviously because his major and
prospective career demands knowledge in national and global affairs. As such, he relies on
television news to absorb information, but he does not rely on traditional print media to gather
his news. He typically leans to the left on the political spectrum, which means his viewing
choices include networks such as CNN and MSNBC. Those networks that cater to a right-leaning
audience such as Fox News do not capture his or her attention. Though he doesn't read print
media regularly, he does access traditional publications like The New York Times, USA Today,
and even The Tennessean on his iPhone and on the web. He relies heavily on mobile applications
and digital platforms to receive his news and information. It is also no surprise that he utilizes
social media very regularly, checking updates on his Facebook news feed several times a day and
also checking his Twitter feed regularly. The Belmont political scientist will also attend graduate
school to earn a master's degree and then enter into an occupation with a higher-than-average
salary, and his spending patterns will noticeably reflect his salary.
First, in lockstep with institutional data from Belmont, national data indicates that

2. bachelor's degrees conferred to political science majors amounts to approximately 52,000 per
year, with roughly 28,000 being awarded to males and 24,000 being awarded to females
(“Bachelor's Degrees Awarded”). To put that into perspective, about 1.6 million bachelor's
degrees are awarded each year, which means roughly 3.24% of bachelor's degrees awarded
nationwide are in the field of political science (U.S. Department of Education). As mentioned
previously, the Belmont political scientist is in the minority among his peers.
Further, relevant national data also solidifies the fact that the Belmont political scientist is
certainly a niche. Approximately 41% of private universities that offer political science programs
to students have less that 50 political science majors, while less than 8% have anywhere from
201-500 majors. Including Belmont, the majority of private universities have fewer than 50
majors (“Undergraduate Enrollment”).
Second, applicable national data concerning the media viewing habits of political science
majors shows that the Belmont political scientist watches more hard news and has a better
understanding of current events and political news in the United States than his peers in other
majors. As previously mentioned, the Belmont political scientist doesn't rely on traditional print
media. Instead, he relies on television news and online sources. His media habits are evidenced
by a recent Media Consumption Survey by Pew which showed that students who read traditional
print media has declined roughly 12% in the past decade (Rubin 8). Television news is still the
Belmont political scientist's primary source of information. Because his major demands
knowledge of national and global affairs, he remains constantly engaged. This, of course, is why
he is deliberate in his choice of networks. He relies heavily on CNN (36). He is not interested in
a network like Fox News because contrary to his personality, Fox News is “most effective in
capturing an audience that is more cynical [toward politics] and less engaged as a whole” (9).

3. Additionally, the Belmont political scientist is more engaged and aware of current events than his
peers. A recent Political Knowledge index—a test given to college students over current events
and political knowledge—showed that a plurality of students who answered every question
correctly were political science majors (22).
Third, the Belmont political scientist will go on to attend a graduate program, and he will
eventually enter into a career with a higher-than-average salary. Germane to the Belmont
political scientist, national data indicates that the majority of political science majors hold a
master's degree or higher. The median salary for the political science major is approximately
$102,000, with most entering into governmental positions (U.S. Department of Labor).

4. Works Cited
“Bachelor's Degrees Awarded in Political Science, 1966-2008.” APSAnet. American Political
Science Association, 2012. Web. 10 March 2014.
“Degrees Conferred by Sex and Race.” National Center for Education Statistics. U.S.
Department of Education, 2012. Web. 10 March 2014.
“Department of Political Science.” Belmont University. Web. 10 March 2014.
“Political Scientists.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 2012. Web. 6 March
2014.
Rubin, Alexandra. “Entertaining Politics and the College Student.” University of Rhode Island.
University of Rhode Island Digital Commons, 2006. Web. 6 March 2014.
“Undergraduate Enrollment in Political Science Courses, 2010-11.” APSAnet. American Political
Science Association, 2012. Web. 10 March 2014.