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2024 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

57 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
5,037 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$44,441 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in international relations & national security is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #67 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 57 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,037 degrees in international relations & national security during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School

Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region Your choice of international relations & national security school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall International Relations & National Security School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your International Relations & National Security Degree Level

Associate Degrees in International Relations
Bachelor's Degrees in International Relations
Master's Degrees in International Relations
Doctor's Degrees in International Relations

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 Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for International Relations & National Security in the Middle Atlantic Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the international relations degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in International Relations

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
686 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$63,316 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were approximately 686 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University receive an earnings boost of about $18,875 above the typical income of international relations & national security majors.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Johns Hopkins University

2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
572 International Relations Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in international relations & national security needs to look into Georgetown University. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were roughly 572 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Georgetown University earn $13,865 more than the average international relations graduate.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Georgetown University

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
44 International Relations Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of Pennsylvania

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
948 International Relations Degrees Awarded
6.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in international relations & national security needs to check out George Washington University. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 948 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of approximately $9,354 above the average earnings of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from George Washington University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In PA
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 24 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Carnegie Mellon University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$66,860 Median Starting Salary

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Columbia University in the City of New York earn $22,419 more than the typical international relations graduate.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
700 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$50,704 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 700 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at American University earn $6,263 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from American University

8
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 International Relations Degrees Awarded
16.5% Growth in Graduates

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 182 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security major at New York University make $7,258 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from New York University

9
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NY
37 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #67 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Colgate is a great university overall.

There were roughly 37 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Colgate in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Colgate University

10
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$47,229 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lafayette is a great college overall.

There were approximately 41 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Lafayette College get an earnings boost of approximately $2,788 over the typical income of international relations & national security majors.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Lafayette College

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

Explore the best international relations & national security colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 530
New York 333 1,196
Maryland 279 682
New Jersey 273 185
District of Columbia 188 2,256
Delaware 175 55

View All Rankings >

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 4,943
International Security 94

View All International Relations Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 11,034
Political Science & Government 9,351
Sociology 5,001
General Social Sciences 2,694
Anthropology 1,570
Geography & Cartography 1,380
Other Social Sciences 932
Urban Studies 488
Sociology & Anthropology 159
Archeology 76

View All International Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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