List of All U.S. Colleges With an International Relations Major
A major in international relations can open many doors in many fields. Businesses, governments, and the non-profit sector are united in their need for leaders who understand the complexities of human political interactions on a global level. If an analytical career for globalized stargazers is what you are looking for, international relations major programs are available across the country for you! Interested in majoring in international relations? Learn which schools offer the major and what to look for in a program. International relations is an interdisciplinary topic that involves the study of how the different actors of the international community interact with each other on a daily basis. Political science, history, economics, and law are the core fields of the major. Studying one foreign language in-depth is often a major requirement. Intercultural understanding is also taught throughout the major. Students often focus on one geographic area for their major, e.g. Central Asia or Latin America. Assignments typically include tests and short papers. The secret to success in international relations is to be curious. Be ready to study topics from a wide range of fields, and dig into their finer details out of passion. Strong memorization skills are necessary for the major, as remembering laws and treaties is important for exams. I may be biased as a history major, but I would say that history is the most important component of the international relations major ─ foreign policy is based on history and creates history. It is quite common for international relations students to pursue a Master’s degree. This is because the best opportunities in the field are highly specialized roles, often requiring advanced legal knowledge and unique political science expertise. It is also important to note that international relations is a popular Master’s degree itself. An international relations degree opens doors in all sorts of places. Foreign affairs analyst, diplomat, international businessperson, political scientist, journalist, economist, and even working at a secretive three-letter agency ─ these are just some of the hats that international relations majors wear. The career paths for those who study “IR” tend to be well-paying, intellectual, but also quite competitive and elitist if you are going for something rooted in the major. The good news is that the interdisciplinary nature of international relations makes it easy to parlay the skills it teaches ─ such as intercultural communication, foreign language skills, and an understanding of “people problems” ─ into almost any field. Since specializing in one region of the world along with its accompanying language is an important part of the major, consider schools which have strong programs in your region of interest. Look at how many levels of your target language they offer, study abroad programs, and faculty who have regional expertise. Location is key when it comes to any decision about your college experience, especially if you are majoring in international relations. Since many career paths in the field are tied to niche institutions located in the same areas, being in the right place at the right time can give you a big advantage in the internship market. Networking, which is crucial in the small world of international relations careers, is another benefit of choosing a good IR ecosystem. If you are looking to use your degree to work for the federal government or political advocacy groups, living in Washington, DC would be very advantageous. If international business, international law, or working for the UN are options that are more your forte, four years in New York City would give you the best shot at applicable internships. Though these big cities are the top destinations for international relations majors, there are hidden pockets of internships and networking in smaller ponds, such as Kansas City. It is also important to note that you do not need to study in these areas to gain access to opportunities ─ it just helps, as you can apply for internships outside of the competitive summer season. Extracurriculars can be enriching educational experiences outside the classroom for international relations majors. Model UN is the stereotypical club for IR students, as it provides opportunities to put theories into practice, learn about global careers, and best of all ─ travel. There are many more options to consider while looking at college offerings. Cultural societies, non-profit chapters, political groups, and student-run media all can help you deepen your classroom learning and take a test drive of possible career paths as an international relations major. [amp-cta id="9459"] School City State University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama Samford University Birmingham Alabama Northern Arizona University | NAU Flagstaff Arizona University of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas Hendrix College Conway Arkansas California State University, East Bay | CSU East Bay Hayward California California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State Long Beach California University of California, Davis | UC Davis Davis California University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside Riverside California Claremont McKenna College | CMC Claremont California University of La Verne La Verne California Loyola Marymount University | LMU Los Angeles California Mills College Oakland California Occidental College Los Angeles California University of the Pacific Stockton California Pitzer College Claremont California Pomona College Claremont California University of Redlands Redlands California San Diego State University | SDSU San Diego California University of San Diego | USD San Diego California San Francisco State University | SF State San Francisco California University of San Francisco | USF San Francisco California San Jose State University | SJSU San Jose California Saint Mary’s College of California | St. Mary’s Moraga California Sonoma State University | SSU Rohnert Park California University of Southern California | USC Los Angeles California University of Denver Denver Colorado Connecticut College New London Connecticut Fairfield University Fairfield Connecticut University of Hartford West Hartford Connecticut Yale University New Haven Connecticut University of Delaware Newark Delaware American University Washington Washington DC George Washington University | GW Washington Washington DC Georgetown University Washington Washington DC Eckerd College Saint Petersburg Florida Florida International University | FIU Miami Florida Florida State University | FSU Tallahassee Florida University of Miami Coral Gables Florida Nova Southeastern University | NSU Fort Lauderdale Florida Rollins College Winter Park Florida University of South Florida | USF Tampa Florida Stetson University DeLand Florida University of West Florida | UWF Pensacola Florida Agnes Scott College Decatur Georgia Berry College Mount Berry Georgia Emory University Atlanta Georgia Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Tech Atlanta Georgia Georgia Southern University Statesboro Georgia University of Georgia Athens Georgia Mercer University Macon Georgia Spelman College Atlanta Georgia University of West Georgia | UWG Carrollton Georgia University of Idaho Moscow Idaho Bradley University Peoria Illinois University of Chicago Chicago Illinois DePaul University Chicago Illinois Benedictine University Lisle Illinois Knox College Galesburg Illinois Lake Forest College Lake Forest Illinois Loyola University Chicago Chicago Illinois Northwestern University Evanston Illinois Principia College Elsah Illinois Roosevelt University Chicago Illinois Wheaton College (Illinois) Wheaton Illinois Butler University Indianapolis Indiana Earlham College Richmond Indiana University of Evansville Evansville Indiana Indiana University ‚Äì Purdue University Indianapolis | IUPUI Indianapolis Indiana University of Southern Indiana | USI Evansville Indiana Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana Bloomington Indiana Taylor University Upland Indiana Valparaiso University | Valpo Valparaiso Indiana Cornell College Mount Vernon Iowa Drake University Des Moines Iowa University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa Wartburg College Waverly Iowa Transylvania University Lexington Kentucky Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana University of Maine Orono Maine Goucher College Baltimore Maryland Johns Hopkins University | JHU Baltimore Maryland Morgan State University Baltimore Maryland Towson University Towson Maryland Washington College Chestertown Maryland Boston University | BU Boston Massachusetts Clark University Worcester Massachusetts Emmanuel College (Massachusetts) Boston Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Boston | UMass Boston Boston Massachusetts Mount Holyoke College South Hadley Massachusetts Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts Simmons College Boston Massachusetts Stonehill College Easton Massachusetts Suffolk University Boston Massachusetts Tufts University Medford Massachusetts Wellesley College Wellesley Massachusetts Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton Massachusetts Worcester Polytechnic Institute | WPI Worcester Massachusetts Calvin College Grand Rapids Michigan Central Michigan University | CMU Mount Pleasant Michigan Eastern Michigan University | EMU Ypsilanti Michigan Grand Valley State University | GVSU Allendale Michigan Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo Michigan Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan Oakland University Rochester Hills Michigan Carleton College Northfield Minnesota University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD Duluth Minnesota University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Saint Paul Minnesota University of Mississippi | Ole Miss University Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss Hattiesburg Mississippi Lindenwood University Saint Charles Missouri Rockhurst University Kansas City Missouri Saint Louis University | SLU Saint Louis Missouri Washington University in St. Louis | WashU Saint Louis Missouri Webster University Saint Louis Missouri Westminster College (Missouri) Fulton Missouri Carroll College Helena Montana Creighton University Omaha Nebraska University of Nebraska‚ÄìLincoln | UNL Lincoln Nebraska Union College (Nebraska) Lincoln Nebraska University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada University of New Hampshire | UNH Durham New Hampshire St. Anselm College Manchester New Hampshire Drew University Madison New Jersey Rider University Lawrenceville New Jersey Seton Hall University South Orange New Jersey The College of New Jersey | TCNJ Ewing New Jersey Colgate University Hamilton New York City College of New York | CCNY New York New York Hunter College | CUNY Hunter New York New York Fordham University Bronx New York Hamilton College Clinton New York Hobart and William Smith Colleges | HWS Geneva New York Manhattan College Riverdale New York New York University | NYU New York New York University of Rochester Rochester New York Skidmore College Saratoga Springs New York St. John Fisher College Rochester New York The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton Vestal New York The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo Buffalo New York The State University of New York at Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo Geneseo New York Syracuse University Syracuse New York United States Military Academy | Army West Point New York Vassar College Poughkeepsie New York Wagner College Staten Island New York Campbell University Buies Creek North Carolina Elon University Elon North Carolina High Point University High Point North Carolina University of Akron Akron Ohio Ashland University Ashland Ohio Bowling Green State University | BGSU Bowling Green Ohio Capital University Columbus Ohio University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio Cleveland State University | CSU Cleveland Ohio Denison University Granville Ohio Kent State University Kent Ohio Miami University Oxford Ohio Ohio State University | OSU Columbus Ohio Ohio University Athens Ohio Otterbein University Westerville Ohio University of Toledo Toledo Ohio College of Wooster Wooster Ohio Youngstown State University Youngstown Ohio Lewis & Clark College Portland Oregon Linfield College McMinnville Oregon Pacific University Forest Grove Oregon Portland State University | PSU Portland Oregon Reed College Portland Oregon Allegheny College Meadville Pennsylvania Bucknell University Lewisburg Pennsylvania Carnegie Mellon University | CMU Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Dickinson College Carlisle Pennsylvania Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Gettysburg College Gettysburg Pennsylvania Immaculata University Immaculata Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania | IUP Indiana Pennsylvania Juniata College Huntingdon Pennsylvania Lafayette College Easton Pennsylvania Lehigh University Bethlehem Pennsylvania Muhlenberg College Allentown Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University | PSU University Park Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania | UPenn Philadelphia Pennsylvania St. Francis College | SFC Loretto Pennsylvania St. Joseph’s University | SJU Philadelphia Pennsylvania University of Scranton Scranton Pennsylvania Swarthmore College Swarthmore Pennsylvania Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania Ursinus College Collegeville Pennsylvania Widener University Chester Pennsylvania York College of Pennsylvania York Pennsylvania Brown University Providence Rhode Island Roger Williams University | RWU Bristol Rhode Island University of South Carolina | USC Columbia South Carolina Wofford College Spartanburg South Carolina Belmont University Nashville Tennessee Lipscomb University Nashville Tennessee East Tennessee State University | ETSU Johnson City Tennessee University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee Middle Tennessee State University | MTSU Murfreesboro Tennessee Rhodes College Memphis Tennessee Austin College Sherman Texas Baylor University Waco Texas Howard Payne University | HPU Brownwood Texas University of St. Thomas (Texas) Houston Texas St. Mary’s University, Texas San Antonio Texas Texas State University San Marcos Texas Texas Christian University | TCU Fort Worth Texas University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA San Antonio Texas Trinity University San Antonio Texas Brigham Young University | BYU Provo Utah Westminster College (Utah) Salt Lake City Utah Bennington College Bennington Vermont Middlebury College Middlebury Vermont St. Michael’s College Colchester Vermont College of William & Mary | William & Mary Williamsburg Virginia George Mason University Fairfax Virginia Hampden‚ÄìSydney College | H‚ÄìSC Hampden-Sydney Virginia Hampton University Hampton Virginia Hollins University Roanoke Virginia James Madison University | JMU Harrisonburg Virginia Liberty University Lynchburg Virginia Old Dominion University | ODU Norfolk Virginia University of Richmond University of Richmond Virginia Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia University of Virginia | UVA Charlottesville Virginia Virginia Military Institute | VMI Lexington Virginia Eastern Washington University | EWU Cheney Washington Gonzaga University Spokane Washington University of Puget Sound Tacoma Washington Washington State University | WSU Pullman Washington Whitworth University Spokane Washington Beloit College Beloit Wisconsin Edgewood College Madison Wisconsin Marquette University Milwaukee Wisconsin Stanford University Stanford California Kennesaw State University | KSU Kennesaw Georgia Notice a school that’s missing? Email us and let us know! No matter what major you are thinking about pursuing, the first step is ensuring that you are academically comparable to previously admitted students to your target schools. Most selective schools use the Academic Index to filter out applicants who do not meet their standards. You’ll also want to demonstrate your fit with each school and specific major you are applying to via the qualitative components of your application, such as your essays and extracurriculars. For a prospective international relations major, the essay is particularly important ─ a solid writing ability as well as creativity will be critical in the classroom and beyond. You may also want to pursue a foreign language (or two) to the highest level in high school, and participate in cultural clubs and initiatives. Want to find out your chances of being accepted to your target schools for international relations? Try our Chancing Engine (it’s free). Unlike conventional admissions calculators, ours reviews your profile holistically ─ we include academic stats, qualitative components like your activities, and more in our calculations.Overview of the International Relations Major
What to Look for in a College as an International Relations Major
Regional Studies
Internships near Campus
Extracurricular Opportunities
List of All U.S. Colleges With an International Relations Major
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
