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2024 Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

17 Colleges in California
816 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,338 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in international relations & national security, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #58 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 17 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of international relations & national security. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 816 bachelor's degrees in international relations & national security during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of international relations & national security for getting your bachelor'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:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor'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

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 schools for international relations & national security students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More International Relations Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study International Relations & National Security in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in International Relations

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Stanford University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at Stanford University make $24,104 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Stanford University

2
171 Annual Graduates
$48,625 Median Starting Salary
$13,765 Median Student Debt

University of Southern California is a great option for students interested in a bachelor's 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.

Bachelor's recipients from the international relations & national security major at University of Southern California make $12,287 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from University of Southern California

3
24 Annual Graduates

Claremont McKenna College is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont.More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Claremont McKenna College

4
151 Annual Graduates
$32,132 Median Starting Salary
$12,416 Median Student Debt

University of California - Davis is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the international relations program report average early career earnings of $32,132.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from University of California - Davis

5
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
31 Annual Graduates
$38,329 Median Starting Salary
$19,275 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Oxy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, international relations bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $38,329 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Occidental College

6
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
9 Annual Graduates

Pomona is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont.More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Pomona College

7

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from University of California - San Diego

8
51 Annual Graduates
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Loyola Marymount University

9
67 Annual Graduates
$28,674 Median Starting Salary
$17,134 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, international relations bachelor's recipients usually make about $28,674 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from San Diego State University

10
63 Annual Graduates
$33,835 Median Starting Salary
$16,750 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the international relations program earn around $33,835 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from San Francisco State University

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 51
Oregon 185 56
Nevada 129 49
Hawaii 112 1

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

International Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
International Relations 749
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 67

Majors Similar to International Relations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 8,861
Economics 6,623
Political Science & Government 6,117
Anthropology 1,780
Geography & Cartography 632
General Social Sciences 568
Other Social Sciences 355
Urban Studies 260
Archeology 10

Notes and References

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