by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 67 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of international relations. Combined, these schools handed out 3,711 master's degrees in international relations to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of international relations for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for international relations students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best International Relations Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in international relations. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Johns Hopkins University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in international relations. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from Johns Hopkins University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in international relations has to take a look at Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in international relations from Yale University
Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in international relations. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from Harvard University
Georgetown University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in international relations. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.More information about a master’s in international relations from Georgetown University
Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from Tufts University
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from Stanford University
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from George Washington University
UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in international relations from University of Chicago
Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in international relations from Duke University
Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in international relations from Rice University
Learn about other programs related to International Relations that might interest you.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best International Relations Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 12 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 13 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 14 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 15 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 16 | Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
View the Best International Relations Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
International Relations is one of 2 different types of International Relations & National Security programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| International Security | 372 |
| Other International Relations & National Security Studies | 343 |
