2024 Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

International Relations & National Security is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #43 most popular master's degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 4 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of international relations & national security. Combined, these schools handed out 192 master's degrees in international relations & national security to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

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

Your choice of international relations & national security 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to international relations & national security students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other international relations & national security students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for international relations & national security to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized international relations & national security related body.

Our complete 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Master's Degree Schools in Virginia.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study International Relations & National Security in Virginia

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in international relations & national security.

Top Virginia Schools for a Master's in International Relations

1

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

76 Annual Graduates

$63,173 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the international relations program report average early career earnings of $63,173.

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

2

Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

93 Annual Graduates

Liberty University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in international relations & national security. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Liberty University

3

Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA

5 Annual Graduates

Old Dominion University is a good decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in international relations & national security. Old Dominion is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Old Dominion University

4

Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA

10 Annual Graduates

Regent University is a good option for individuals interested in a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Regent University

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	208	72
Georgia	190	61
North Carolina	178	65
Tennessee	166	18
Alabama	151	73
Kentucky	147	27
South Carolina	146	2
West Virginia	112	0

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Rankings in Majors Related to International Relations

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, International Relations & National Security has other similar majors worth exploring.

International Relations Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
International Relations	88
Other International Relations & National Security Studies	67
International Security	37

Most Popular Majors Related to International Relations

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government	94
Economics	89
Urban Studies	31
Sociology	27
Geography & Cartography	25
Anthropology	18
General Social Sciences	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.