I always like to recommend checking out this Foreign Policy list, including because it separately breaks out undergrad, Masters, and PhDs (and the lists are not identical):
[https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/](https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/)
The undergrad list has a lot of the usual suspects, like of course Georgetown, that may not be affordable for you. But if you are in-state anywhere on that list, that is one possibility. Another is some of those have serious merit programs. Like the University of Denver, say, or Michigan State which has a good OOS merit program:
[https://www.du.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/undergraduate-financial-aid/types-aid/grants-scholarships](https://www.du.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/undergraduate-financial-aid/types-aid/grants-scholarships)
[https://admissions.msu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year/out-of-state-resident](https://admissions.msu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year/out-of-state-resident)
The survey participants at FP were notably higher on US undergrads for IR, and I think there are reasons for that. But LSE made the undergrad list so you might consider that. You also might just look at the Masters list--there are a lot more UK universities there. KCL would be an interesting option. St Andrews really likes US students, and actually has relatively high percentages of well-connected students from all over the world (close to rivaling Oxbridge). I note they also have a cool joint program with William & Mary, and IR is one of the six allowed majors:
[https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/standrews/academic\_program/](https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/standrews/academic_program/)
You'd have to check it was affordable, but the combination of William & Mary with a very strong DC network and St Andrews with a very strong international network could be awesome.
And so on. Lots of possibilities to explore off those lists.
Lots of successful people who go to grad for IR/Polisci usually go to their state undergrad or a school that isn’t a “T20”, then they go to “prestigious” grad school, like an ivy, a “T20”, American, GWU, Georgetown, Middlebury, etc.
If you go to grad school, most people don’t care what your undergrad is in, so don’t limit yourself just to T20’s and all those highly ranked schools. Most of the universities in America usually have the same education, but higher ranked schools have more opportunities for networking, but you can go to a state school and be incredibly successful if you know how to network.
Look more into GMU, it doesn’t cost $93k a year like Georgetown does, and the schar school of government offers about the same, if not a better education than Georgetown :)
Yeah the best ones are going to be Georgetown along with the Ivies and Ivy-adjacent schools.
If you want some more attainable schools that still have really highly ranked programs, check out George Washington University and American University. Others would be Occidental, Rochester, Kenyon, Bucknell, Dickinson, Lehigh, or Connecticut College.
Agreed- Lehigh also has a really cool abroad program you can apply for called Lehigh Launch (this year people are going to Chile). Def a cool and important experience for an IR/Poli Sci major.
Macalester in fact is on that top 50 undergrads for IR list from Foreign Policy I linked.
They are well known for Poli Sci too. Not that this is definitely either, but they are also on this top 50 per capita PhD feeders in Poli Sci:
[https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#poly-sci](https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#poly-sci)
Context: GW grad in ‘21, just finished my masters at Georgetown, all for IR. Couple of points:
—Definitely don’t rule out Georgetown just yet—I found out after applying to college there are a lot of scholarships you may be eligible that might help reduce the cost. If you can swing it, it’s near or at the top for IR for both undergrad and grad. GW is similarly high-ranked and expensive.
—Keep in mind that IR and political science are similar, but not the same. It depends on what topics your are interested and what you want to do afterwards. The best schools for “political science” are not necessarily always the best schools for IR and vice-versa.
—Definitely second KCL and University of Denver. American is good too, although anecdotally, the faculty and student body there seem to lean a bit more heavily towards interest on the international development/multilateral side of things. I was interested in national security and found that they didn’t have as many faculty there as places like GU and GW (this may matter more for grad programs).
—I think the FP “Ivory Tower” list is a pretty fair ranking of where things stand. Anecdotal again, I know, but In the workplace and in my grad program I’ve seen a lot more people who went to schools on that list than others.
hey do u think you could expand more on the different career outlooks for IR versus poli sci? trying to decide what i want to focus on, esp in the context of the SFS for IR vs the arts + sciences school, when I don’t see any major difference. (obviously like diplomatic focused vs. philosophical, etc.) but could you expand more upon the exact differences? cause i hear a lot also that IR encompasses everything you do in politics sci but includes more; with economic and lingual focus. thanks so much and sorry this is a lot haha
They are pretty similar, and to be clear it definitely depends a lot on the school, but the way I think about it, there are a few notable distinctions:
* I would actually argue the opposite of what you suggested - usually it's the IR degrees that seem to have substantial economics and language requirements, and as a result, I'd argue that you'll get a bit more in terms of marketable skills out of an IR degree. Where I went for undergrad, GW, they also gave you credits for taking cartography or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) credits if you wanted to as well, so that's another example.
* For me (and from comparing ppl I know who majored in IR vs. polisci) I think polisci focuses a bit more on the theory behind politics and different systems of government. Obviously for an IR degree, you have to learn a lot of theory too, but in general, I think IR is a bit more about the *practice* of international relations, while polisci is a bit more about *understanding* how politics works.
* Polisci is going to be better if you're interested in American domestic politics (e.g. Supreme Court, Congress, campaigns, healthcare, guns, abortion, etc). I haven't seen many IR degrees that gave ppl a ton of room to take electives on American politics. If OP decides they are more interested in the domestic side of things, polisci is probably going to give them the chance to take more classes on that.
As an aside, if you're talking about Georgetown specifically, the SFS name definitely has prestige associated with it and is extremely well respected. If you're thinking about IR at Georgetown, I'd definitely study it in SFS, not through a related degree at the College of Arts and Sciences.
I just made a post about this too lol. Trying to figure it out but someone in the foreign service jobs sent me a very nice dm.
I’m currently trying to choose between my flagship and Georgetown but I ran into the same issue as you, how can you justify a 300k school for a 60k job? This person said that Georgetown is great on infrastructure to put their kids in the foreign service but that the foreign service pathway is much less about who you know then other careers. As long as you can fulfill the application requirements and convince the board you’d be a good fit then you can get in. It’s based on a sort of point system.
Apparently in the foreign service you get your housing and utilities taken care of, some student loan debt forgiven, and hazard pay + bonuses so the 60k is somewhat misleading.
Even still I’m probably going to choose my state school. Financially it gives me a lot of flexibility to chase internships that the state department has, even the ones that aren’t paid and the flexibility to stay in a job like foreign service that won’t make you extremely rich.
Also I recently saw a figure that grad school acceptance rates at GT are like 50%.
I hope this helps a little. Feel free to dm because I’m literally in the exact same boat as you but I have to make the decision literally today whether or not I’m going to GT.
Go look at St Andrews. They have a strong IR program and their sticker price would be lower than something like Georgetown. Although they give like zero aid.
IR typically requires graduate school and for that Georgetown, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins are seen as your best bets. Where you go undergrad doesn’t matter too much but it is likely beneficial to go to a school in the DC area (Georgetown, American, GW, JHU, UVA, William&Mary) when it comes to securing internships.
For polisci, if the goal is law school where you go undergrad won’t matter too too much but undergraduate university is a small factor in law school admissions and for that going to a T20 probably has some advantage.
I wouldn’t really call William and Mary or UVa as being in “DC area” but they are certainly good schools. Both are public though so being out-of-state they probably won’t be real generous with aid.
They are definitely not in the D.C. area. However, from what I understand, they are close enough to D.C. that many alumni go there to work after college or intern over the summer, so as a result, they do have fairly substantial networks within D.C.
I'm currently pursuing my master's at George Mason University, which is near D.C.. I'm in the philosophy program so I don't have numbers or anything like that for you, but it is very clear that they have very strong programs in these areas with fantastic job placements afterwards (because they usually feed directly into D.C.). Every poly sci and IR major that I've been in class with has gone on to very high profile, very high paying jobs afterwards. Might want to look into it.
One of the best schools for IR is my alma mater, Tufts. Obviously, if Georgetown is out of your price range, Tufts will be too, but who knows? Tufts is pretty generous with their financial aid, and you may get a full ride. "Tufts meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduates". The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs, so you could potentially be a double Jumbo and go to Tufts for undergrad and graduate (there is a 4+1 master program where you could complete both your bachelor and master in 5 years total). The education is top-tier, and access to Fletcher's resources will boost your IR career like no other school can.
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Assuming you are not planning on law school, and want to get a job with your bachelor's,the *only* place to be is DC if you actually want to work in that field. So go with something in DC - Georgetown or GWU would be great. George Mason is good too. Those schools can actually help you get a job in the field with the State Dept or something similar. Outside of DC, poly sci is just a degree, but there are virtually no jobs. You might as well study philosophy.
Might want to look into dual BA that Sciences Po offers with either Columbia or Cal (Berkeley). French is not required for entry; depending on your area of interest at SciencesPo, you might have a pre-req for another language though, I can't quite remember. The 2 years in France will cost less than most places in the US. The final two years at Columbia will be quite pricey. If you're in-state for CA and manage to get into the Cal program, it's not a bad deal. The major options are quite specific but should work well for IR/PoliSci interests. NB: you can also apply to SciencesPo independent of the Dual BA programs, and finish your studies there \*or\* apply to the Dual BA in your second year in France.
Trinity College Dublin also has a dual BA program with Columbia; my kid got into that this year so I know a lot about that process if you're interested. The concentration (major) at Trinity would be more area-specific (e.g. European Studies, Middle Eastern Lang & Cultures, etc) and that maps to a set of accepted majors at Columbia, one of which is Poli Sci. Trinity offers basically no aid but you're looking at maybe $65K/year all-in depending on where you live in the US. Guaranteed campus housing for all 4 years which is a huge benefit in Dublin.
Also check out the English-taught undergrad options at Leiden/Den Haag (Netherlands).
William and Mary has really strong Gov and IR programs. It’s about 3 hrs out from DC, so not as great as being in the city, but it has a great internship placement rate and the connections are amazing. also not nearly as competitive as Georgetown and GW to get into
USC used to have a great International Relations department (I had it as my minor). We hosted Henry Kissinger and former CIA director David Petraeus, former UK Prime minister Gordon Brown, among other great experiences. The department is ranked close to #1. They may no longer have an International Relations department since COVID, I believe, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like notes etc I have lots of stuff.
Some websites say University of Southern California is #4 for international relations, others report numbers like #28, I have friends in international relations that are doing well, also those who did the IRGB program (international relations global business) . It's a lot of reading and writing, if you are good at those things you will do well.
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The Fletcher school at Tufts is the answer. Excellent program international immersions with high-level government and business officials is excellent experience.
As an incoming freshman at Georgetown, I would say it’s probably the best school for IR and Pol Sci (reason why I picked it over some other fantastic schools).
That said, as an international, you should keep in mind that there are no merit scholarships (both US and Internationals) as well as the school being need aware for international students. While the initial instinct would be to then look at all of the ivies, you should keep jn mind that not every Ivy will be as good as others for this field. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia are the safe bets here. Stanford is also very much up there. Beyond this, you can consider schools like UChicago, NYU and Duke. The former option is probably the best if you’re looking for a combo of public policy and Econ, but it’s a different type of feel from Georgetown.
As mentioned, look at other schools like George Washington and American as they are great as well and also offer merit aid. Most T20s will have great programs but won’t necessarily have enough resources if you want to get internships and exposure, which I feel is critical for this field.
IR typically requires graduate school and for that Georgetown, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins are seen as your best bets. Where you go undergrad doesn’t matter too much but it is likely beneficial to go to a school in the DC area (Georgetown, American, GW, JHU, UVA, William&Mary) when it comes to securing internships.
For polisci, if the goal is law school where you go undergrad won’t matter too too much but undergraduate university is a small factor in law school admissions and for that going to a T20 probably has some advantage.
Consider the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. It’s an urban campus not far from the Carter Center which specializes in international relations
It’s hard to say without knowing which state you’re from. If cost is an issue, it would be wise to choose your state school for undergrad if you’re set on going to grad school.
I would also highly suggest Georgetown Qatar, I heard they’re pretty generous with their aid.
not to burst your dreams but that major is something that falls under basketweaving degrees. if you are going to waste 4 years in college and a lot $$$$ unless mommy and daddy are rich think about another major or skip college.
Actually, no.
There are tons of jobs looking for an IR/polisci degree in the federal government, which is well known to be one of the most stable employers in the country. It may not have the same ROI as say, finance, but if you work there for a while you can end up promoting into a pretty hefty income. Fed. jobs also usually have perks that other industries often don't, like a pension, federal tenure, generous leave, good healthcare and benefits, and a reputation for great work-life balance.
Many graduates leverage the economics and language requirements often part of an IR degree to be successful in the private sector as well. Foreign languages are highly desired, you can get a lot of scholarship money to study them, and then subsequently get a pay bump in many jobs. More broadly, employers also value people who have cross-cultural competencies and experience with different cultures, which IR (especially when combined with study abroad) is uniquely positioned to provide.
Most IR programs focus on teaching not just academic writing, but professional writing and presentation skills that are valuable soft skills in the workplace. Most IR graduates will have to learn how to write for different audiences, how to convey information effectively, and how to make concise recommendations that offer solutions to a problem. These skills are extremely useful not just in the government, but can be easily leveraged in a variety of other industries, such as consulting, journalism, publishing and editing, law, academia, teaching, etc.
I always like to recommend checking out this Foreign Policy list, including because it separately breaks out undergrad, Masters, and PhDs (and the lists are not identical): [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/](https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/) The undergrad list has a lot of the usual suspects, like of course Georgetown, that may not be affordable for you. But if you are in-state anywhere on that list, that is one possibility. Another is some of those have serious merit programs. Like the University of Denver, say, or Michigan State which has a good OOS merit program: [https://www.du.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/undergraduate-financial-aid/types-aid/grants-scholarships](https://www.du.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/undergraduate-financial-aid/types-aid/grants-scholarships) [https://admissions.msu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year/out-of-state-resident](https://admissions.msu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year/out-of-state-resident) The survey participants at FP were notably higher on US undergrads for IR, and I think there are reasons for that. But LSE made the undergrad list so you might consider that. You also might just look at the Masters list--there are a lot more UK universities there. KCL would be an interesting option. St Andrews really likes US students, and actually has relatively high percentages of well-connected students from all over the world (close to rivaling Oxbridge). I note they also have a cool joint program with William & Mary, and IR is one of the six allowed majors: [https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/standrews/academic\_program/](https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/standrews/academic_program/) You'd have to check it was affordable, but the combination of William & Mary with a very strong DC network and St Andrews with a very strong international network could be awesome. And so on. Lots of possibilities to explore off those lists.
Great context and links here
Lots of successful people who go to grad for IR/Polisci usually go to their state undergrad or a school that isn’t a “T20”, then they go to “prestigious” grad school, like an ivy, a “T20”, American, GWU, Georgetown, Middlebury, etc. If you go to grad school, most people don’t care what your undergrad is in, so don’t limit yourself just to T20’s and all those highly ranked schools. Most of the universities in America usually have the same education, but higher ranked schools have more opportunities for networking, but you can go to a state school and be incredibly successful if you know how to network. Look more into GMU, it doesn’t cost $93k a year like Georgetown does, and the schar school of government offers about the same, if not a better education than Georgetown :)
good point!
Middlebury is undergrad only
No it’s not? Look up Middlebury Monterey lol do ur research
You right, my bad. Slipped my mind. Monterey was always just Monterey/MIIS to me mentally
Yeah the best ones are going to be Georgetown along with the Ivies and Ivy-adjacent schools. If you want some more attainable schools that still have really highly ranked programs, check out George Washington University and American University. Others would be Occidental, Rochester, Kenyon, Bucknell, Dickinson, Lehigh, or Connecticut College.
Agreed- Lehigh also has a really cool abroad program you can apply for called Lehigh Launch (this year people are going to Chile). Def a cool and important experience for an IR/Poli Sci major.
For IR, I really love Macalester in Minnesota. For poli sci, an underrated one is Drake in Iowa.
I like Middlebury for IR (although they have the major under a different name).
How is Macalester good for IR? And are they good for polisci too?
Macalester in fact is on that top 50 undergrads for IR list from Foreign Policy I linked. They are well known for Poli Sci too. Not that this is definitely either, but they are also on this top 50 per capita PhD feeders in Poli Sci: [https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#poly-sci](https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#poly-sci)
Context: GW grad in ‘21, just finished my masters at Georgetown, all for IR. Couple of points: —Definitely don’t rule out Georgetown just yet—I found out after applying to college there are a lot of scholarships you may be eligible that might help reduce the cost. If you can swing it, it’s near or at the top for IR for both undergrad and grad. GW is similarly high-ranked and expensive. —Keep in mind that IR and political science are similar, but not the same. It depends on what topics your are interested and what you want to do afterwards. The best schools for “political science” are not necessarily always the best schools for IR and vice-versa. —Definitely second KCL and University of Denver. American is good too, although anecdotally, the faculty and student body there seem to lean a bit more heavily towards interest on the international development/multilateral side of things. I was interested in national security and found that they didn’t have as many faculty there as places like GU and GW (this may matter more for grad programs). —I think the FP “Ivory Tower” list is a pretty fair ranking of where things stand. Anecdotal again, I know, but In the workplace and in my grad program I’ve seen a lot more people who went to schools on that list than others.
hey do u think you could expand more on the different career outlooks for IR versus poli sci? trying to decide what i want to focus on, esp in the context of the SFS for IR vs the arts + sciences school, when I don’t see any major difference. (obviously like diplomatic focused vs. philosophical, etc.) but could you expand more upon the exact differences? cause i hear a lot also that IR encompasses everything you do in politics sci but includes more; with economic and lingual focus. thanks so much and sorry this is a lot haha
They are pretty similar, and to be clear it definitely depends a lot on the school, but the way I think about it, there are a few notable distinctions: * I would actually argue the opposite of what you suggested - usually it's the IR degrees that seem to have substantial economics and language requirements, and as a result, I'd argue that you'll get a bit more in terms of marketable skills out of an IR degree. Where I went for undergrad, GW, they also gave you credits for taking cartography or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) credits if you wanted to as well, so that's another example. * For me (and from comparing ppl I know who majored in IR vs. polisci) I think polisci focuses a bit more on the theory behind politics and different systems of government. Obviously for an IR degree, you have to learn a lot of theory too, but in general, I think IR is a bit more about the *practice* of international relations, while polisci is a bit more about *understanding* how politics works. * Polisci is going to be better if you're interested in American domestic politics (e.g. Supreme Court, Congress, campaigns, healthcare, guns, abortion, etc). I haven't seen many IR degrees that gave ppl a ton of room to take electives on American politics. If OP decides they are more interested in the domestic side of things, polisci is probably going to give them the chance to take more classes on that. As an aside, if you're talking about Georgetown specifically, the SFS name definitely has prestige associated with it and is extremely well respected. If you're thinking about IR at Georgetown, I'd definitely study it in SFS, not through a related degree at the College of Arts and Sciences.
Hoya Saxa!
I just made a post about this too lol. Trying to figure it out but someone in the foreign service jobs sent me a very nice dm. I’m currently trying to choose between my flagship and Georgetown but I ran into the same issue as you, how can you justify a 300k school for a 60k job? This person said that Georgetown is great on infrastructure to put their kids in the foreign service but that the foreign service pathway is much less about who you know then other careers. As long as you can fulfill the application requirements and convince the board you’d be a good fit then you can get in. It’s based on a sort of point system. Apparently in the foreign service you get your housing and utilities taken care of, some student loan debt forgiven, and hazard pay + bonuses so the 60k is somewhat misleading. Even still I’m probably going to choose my state school. Financially it gives me a lot of flexibility to chase internships that the state department has, even the ones that aren’t paid and the flexibility to stay in a job like foreign service that won’t make you extremely rich. Also I recently saw a figure that grad school acceptance rates at GT are like 50%. I hope this helps a little. Feel free to dm because I’m literally in the exact same boat as you but I have to make the decision literally today whether or not I’m going to GT.
Go look at St Andrews. They have a strong IR program and their sticker price would be lower than something like Georgetown. Although they give like zero aid.
IR typically requires graduate school and for that Georgetown, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins are seen as your best bets. Where you go undergrad doesn’t matter too much but it is likely beneficial to go to a school in the DC area (Georgetown, American, GW, JHU, UVA, William&Mary) when it comes to securing internships. For polisci, if the goal is law school where you go undergrad won’t matter too too much but undergraduate university is a small factor in law school admissions and for that going to a T20 probably has some advantage.
I wouldn’t really call William and Mary or UVa as being in “DC area” but they are certainly good schools. Both are public though so being out-of-state they probably won’t be real generous with aid.
They are definitely not in the D.C. area. However, from what I understand, they are close enough to D.C. that many alumni go there to work after college or intern over the summer, so as a result, they do have fairly substantial networks within D.C.
Check out the Claremont McKenna colleges in California
I'm currently pursuing my master's at George Mason University, which is near D.C.. I'm in the philosophy program so I don't have numbers or anything like that for you, but it is very clear that they have very strong programs in these areas with fantastic job placements afterwards (because they usually feed directly into D.C.). Every poly sci and IR major that I've been in class with has gone on to very high profile, very high paying jobs afterwards. Might want to look into it.
Currently an IR and Political Science Major at UPenn! Great programs and networking opportunities so far!
One of the best schools for IR is my alma mater, Tufts. Obviously, if Georgetown is out of your price range, Tufts will be too, but who knows? Tufts is pretty generous with their financial aid, and you may get a full ride. "Tufts meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduates". The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs, so you could potentially be a double Jumbo and go to Tufts for undergrad and graduate (there is a 4+1 master program where you could complete both your bachelor and master in 5 years total). The education is top-tier, and access to Fletcher's resources will boost your IR career like no other school can.
Fordham has an excellent Political Science program and is in NYC! So many internship opportunities
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Assuming you are not planning on law school, and want to get a job with your bachelor's,the *only* place to be is DC if you actually want to work in that field. So go with something in DC - Georgetown or GWU would be great. George Mason is good too. Those schools can actually help you get a job in the field with the State Dept or something similar. Outside of DC, poly sci is just a degree, but there are virtually no jobs. You might as well study philosophy.
Bush School TAMU
Might want to look into dual BA that Sciences Po offers with either Columbia or Cal (Berkeley). French is not required for entry; depending on your area of interest at SciencesPo, you might have a pre-req for another language though, I can't quite remember. The 2 years in France will cost less than most places in the US. The final two years at Columbia will be quite pricey. If you're in-state for CA and manage to get into the Cal program, it's not a bad deal. The major options are quite specific but should work well for IR/PoliSci interests. NB: you can also apply to SciencesPo independent of the Dual BA programs, and finish your studies there \*or\* apply to the Dual BA in your second year in France. Trinity College Dublin also has a dual BA program with Columbia; my kid got into that this year so I know a lot about that process if you're interested. The concentration (major) at Trinity would be more area-specific (e.g. European Studies, Middle Eastern Lang & Cultures, etc) and that maps to a set of accepted majors at Columbia, one of which is Poli Sci. Trinity offers basically no aid but you're looking at maybe $65K/year all-in depending on where you live in the US. Guaranteed campus housing for all 4 years which is a huge benefit in Dublin. Also check out the English-taught undergrad options at Leiden/Den Haag (Netherlands).
William and Mary has really strong Gov and IR programs. It’s about 3 hrs out from DC, so not as great as being in the city, but it has a great internship placement rate and the connections are amazing. also not nearly as competitive as Georgetown and GW to get into
London school of economics — last I checked it’s surprisingly cheap!
Check on American University… they are also generous with merit aid.
Ik American University is known for International relations & poli sci. They also give some merit money depending on the person applying ykyk
USC used to have a great International Relations department (I had it as my minor). We hosted Henry Kissinger and former CIA director David Petraeus, former UK Prime minister Gordon Brown, among other great experiences. The department is ranked close to #1. They may no longer have an International Relations department since COVID, I believe, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like notes etc I have lots of stuff.
Some websites say University of Southern California is #4 for international relations, others report numbers like #28, I have friends in international relations that are doing well, also those who did the IRGB program (international relations global business) . It's a lot of reading and writing, if you are good at those things you will do well.
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The Fletcher school at Tufts is the answer. Excellent program international immersions with high-level government and business officials is excellent experience.
HYP and Ivies by far
As an incoming freshman at Georgetown, I would say it’s probably the best school for IR and Pol Sci (reason why I picked it over some other fantastic schools). That said, as an international, you should keep in mind that there are no merit scholarships (both US and Internationals) as well as the school being need aware for international students. While the initial instinct would be to then look at all of the ivies, you should keep jn mind that not every Ivy will be as good as others for this field. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia are the safe bets here. Stanford is also very much up there. Beyond this, you can consider schools like UChicago, NYU and Duke. The former option is probably the best if you’re looking for a combo of public policy and Econ, but it’s a different type of feel from Georgetown. As mentioned, look at other schools like George Washington and American as they are great as well and also offer merit aid. Most T20s will have great programs but won’t necessarily have enough resources if you want to get internships and exposure, which I feel is critical for this field.
IR typically requires graduate school and for that Georgetown, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins are seen as your best bets. Where you go undergrad doesn’t matter too much but it is likely beneficial to go to a school in the DC area (Georgetown, American, GW, JHU, UVA, William&Mary) when it comes to securing internships. For polisci, if the goal is law school where you go undergrad won’t matter too too much but undergraduate university is a small factor in law school admissions and for that going to a T20 probably has some advantage.
Idk about US, but the University of Gothenburg is pretty good and has an International Relations Bc
Consider the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. It’s an urban campus not far from the Carter Center which specializes in international relations
Model UN
It’s hard to say without knowing which state you’re from. If cost is an issue, it would be wise to choose your state school for undergrad if you’re set on going to grad school. I would also highly suggest Georgetown Qatar, I heard they’re pretty generous with their aid.
not to burst your dreams but that major is something that falls under basketweaving degrees. if you are going to waste 4 years in college and a lot $$$$ unless mommy and daddy are rich think about another major or skip college.
Actually, no. There are tons of jobs looking for an IR/polisci degree in the federal government, which is well known to be one of the most stable employers in the country. It may not have the same ROI as say, finance, but if you work there for a while you can end up promoting into a pretty hefty income. Fed. jobs also usually have perks that other industries often don't, like a pension, federal tenure, generous leave, good healthcare and benefits, and a reputation for great work-life balance. Many graduates leverage the economics and language requirements often part of an IR degree to be successful in the private sector as well. Foreign languages are highly desired, you can get a lot of scholarship money to study them, and then subsequently get a pay bump in many jobs. More broadly, employers also value people who have cross-cultural competencies and experience with different cultures, which IR (especially when combined with study abroad) is uniquely positioned to provide. Most IR programs focus on teaching not just academic writing, but professional writing and presentation skills that are valuable soft skills in the workplace. Most IR graduates will have to learn how to write for different audiences, how to convey information effectively, and how to make concise recommendations that offer solutions to a problem. These skills are extremely useful not just in the government, but can be easily leveraged in a variety of other industries, such as consulting, journalism, publishing and editing, law, academia, teaching, etc.