2024 Best International Relations & National Security Schools
236
Colleges in the United States
13,958
International Relations Degrees Awarded
$41,264
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
international relations & national security, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #67 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 236 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for international relations & national security students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 13,958 degrees in international relations & national security to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School
Your choice of international relations & national security school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall International Relations & National Security School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your International Relations & National Security Degree Level
The international relations school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best International Relations & National Security Schools.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
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Featured International Relations & National Security Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Best Schools for International Relations & National Security in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the international relations degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools in International Relations
It is difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
There were approximately 760 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at Johns Hopkins University get $22,051 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Johns Hopkins UniversityEvery student pursuing a degree in international relations & national security has to check out Yale University. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
There were about 97 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Yale University earn $27,781 more than the standard international relations grad.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Yale UniversityEvery student pursuing a degree in international relations & national security has to take a look at Stanford University. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were about 89 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Stanford University receive $19,178 more than the standard international relations grad.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Stanford UniversityUniversity of Southern California is a good choice for students interested in a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 191 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $7,361 more than the standard international relations grad.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of Southern CaliforniaMaster's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In MA
171
International Relations Degrees Awarded
Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.
There were approximately 171 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Harvard UniversityGeorgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.
There were roughly 562 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Georgetown University make $17,042 more than the standard international relations grad.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Georgetown UniversityLocated in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were approximately 383 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Tufts University receive an earnings boost of approximately $15,968 over the typical earnings of international relations & national security graduates.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Tufts UniversityBachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In PA
49
International Relations Degrees Awarded
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
There were roughly 49 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of PennsylvaniaLocated in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 212 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $4,086 more than the standard international relations graduate.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of Virginia - Main CampusClaremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.
There were about 30 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Claremont McKenna CollegeBrown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence. This university ranks 1st out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.
There were roughly 100 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the international relations program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,882.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Brown UniversityLocated in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There were roughly 852 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security major at George Washington University get $12,531 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from George Washington UniversityLocated in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were roughly 34 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $5,186 more than the standard international relations graduate.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Northwestern UniversityUChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were approximately 163 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security major at University of Chicago earn $2,081 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of ChicagoMaster's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NC
Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were approximately 29 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Duke UniversityCarnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.
There were about 30 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Carnegie Mellon UniversityLocated in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 1st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were roughly 25 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Rice UniversityColumbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 154 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security major at Columbia University in the City of New York make $25,596 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Columbia University in the City of New YorkLocated in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There were approximately 749 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from American University receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,440 over the typical earnings of international relations & national security graduates.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from American UniversityEmory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.
There were roughly 34 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Emory University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,720 over the average earnings of international relations & national security graduates.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Emory UniversityLocated in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 123 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security program at University of California - San Diego earn $22,275 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of California - San DiegoMiddlebury is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Middlebury. This college ranks 1st out of 11 colleges for overall quality in the state of Vermont.
There were about 49 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Middlebury in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Middlebury College earn $9,477 more than the average international relations student.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Middlebury CollegeVirginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. This school ranks 2nd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 132 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, international relations degree recipients typically make about $39,039 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Virginia TechWUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 1st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 8 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Washington University in St LouisBachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MN
56
International Relations Degrees Awarded
Located in the town of Northfield, Carleton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 2nd out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 56 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Carleton College