2024 Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

a master's degree in international relations & national security is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #43 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 142 master's degrees in international relations & national security during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School for Your Master's Degree

The international relations master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality international relations program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on international relations & national security students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of international relations & national security students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt international relations & national security students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized international relations & national security related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for international relations & national security students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank International Relations & National Security Schools

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 & National Security Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study International Relations & National Security in the Great Lakes Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for international relations & national security students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in International Relations

1

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

48 Annual Graduates

$44,115 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the international relations program earn about $44,115 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from University of Chicago

2

Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, IN

5 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Indiana University - Bloomington if you want to pursue a master's degree in international relations & national security. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Indiana University - Bloomington

2

Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI

14 Annual Graduates

Marquette University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Marquette University

3

University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI

20 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Wisconsin - Madison if you want to pursue a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4

DePaul University
Chicago, IL

18 Annual Graduates

$47,563 Median Starting Salary

DePaul University is a good decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

After graduation, international relations master's recipients generally make about $47,563 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from DePaul University

5

Wright State University - Main Campus
Dayton, OH

10 Annual Graduates

Wright State University - Main Campus is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Dayton.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Wright State University - Main Campus

6

University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, OH

7 Annual Graduates

University of Akron Main Campus is a large public university located in the midsize city of Akron.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from University of Akron Main Campus

7

Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH

7 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Cleveland State University

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

Explore the best international relations & national security schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Illinois	221	66
Michigan	211	1
Ohio	207	32
Indiana	191	9
Wisconsin	173	34

View All Rankings >

International Relations & National Security Related Rankings by Major

International Relations & National Security is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

International Relations Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
International Relations	109
Other International Relations & National Security Studies	17
International Security	16

Majors Similar to International Relations

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Economics	932
Political Science & Government	241
General Social Sciences	192
Sociology	179
Geography & Cartography	175
Anthropology	115
Urban Studies	21
Other Social Sciences	20
Archeology	3

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to RepubFan12. More about our data sources and methodologies.