by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
International Security is the 548th most popular major in the country with 659 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 372 international security graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in international security. That schools that top this list have a program in international security in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree international security students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Naval Postgraduate School. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major. Naval Postgraduate School is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 masters’s international security degrees to qualified students.
Full Naval Postgraduate School International Security Report
Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Angelo State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Angelo State is a public institution located in San Angelo, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on International Security at Angelo State University
Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Notre Dame College landed the #3 spot on the list. NDC is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 masters’s international security degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Hawaii Pacific University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified masters’s international security students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on International Security at Hawaii Pacific University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major list. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a fairly large school located in Lowell, Massachusetts that handed out 46 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Security at University of Massachusetts - Lowell
The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 32 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on International Security at The University of Texas at El Paso
San Diego State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s international security degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about International Security at San Diego State University
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking, coming in at #8. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 11 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Akron Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is located in Akron, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s international security degrees to qualified students.
Read more about International Security at University of Akron Main Campus
Liberty University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s international security degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on International Security at Liberty University
East Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking, coming in at #12. East Carolina University is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina. It awarded 11 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking, coming in at #13. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on International Security at California State University - San Bernardino
Bellevue University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Bellevue, Nebraska, and it awarded 5 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Security at Bellevue University
Central Michigan University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. Central Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 1 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on International Security at Central Michigan University
With a ranking of #16, George Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major list. George Washington University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 0 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Harvard University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 14 masters’s international security degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major list. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major list. SFASU is a public institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on International Security at Stephen F Austin State University
Fairmont State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on International Security Major ranking. Fairmont State University is located in Fairmont, West Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 masters’s international security degrees to qualified students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
