Students will be prepared for entrance into state, local, and federal government service; business careers; social work; journalism; teaching; and politics; approximately half of Drake's politics and international relations majors go to law school or other graduate study.

All nine full-time faculty are engaged in teaching classes from the introductory to advanced levels. Their areas of research interest include American foreign policy, judicial selection, money and politics, the meaning of the Constitution, human rights, welfare policy, and Japanese interest groups. Four members of the department have won University or college teaching awards.