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2024 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the New England Region

22 Colleges in the New England Region
1,681 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$46,654 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in international relations & national security, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #67 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 22 schools in the New England Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of international relations & national security. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,681 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 New England Region Your choice of international relations & national security school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall International Relations & National Security School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the New England Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for International Relations & National Security in the New England Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the international relations degree levels they offer.

10 Top New England Region Schools in International Relations

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 International Relations Degrees Awarded
19.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in international relations & national security has to look into Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were roughly 88 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security program at Yale University earn $22,391 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MA
149 International Relations Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat Harvard University if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 149 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year.

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

3
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
478 International Relations Degrees Awarded
17.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in international relations & national security has to look into Tufts University. Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Tufts is a great university overall.

There were approximately 478 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Tufts University earn a boost of about $10,578 over the typical earnings of international relations & national security majors.

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

4
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$37,882 Median Starting Salary

Brown University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in international relations & national security. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Brown is a great university overall.

There were about 39 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the international relations program report average early career wages of $37,882.

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

5
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 International Relations Degrees Awarded
18.4% Growth in Graduates

Middlebury is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Middlebury. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Middlebury is a great college overall.

There were approximately 38 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Middlebury in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Middlebury College receive an earnings boost of about $4,087 over the typical income of international relations & national security graduates.

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

6
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
278 International Relations Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 278 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, international relations degree recipients generally make around $40,313 at the beginning of their careers.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$42,014 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #59 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the international relations program earn an average of $42,014 in the first couple years of working.

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

8
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,377 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of South Hadley, Mt. Holyoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 20th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 28 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Mt. Holyoke in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the international relations program make about $39,377 in the first couple years of working.

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

9
Conn College crest
Connecticut College
New London, CT
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$44,217 Median Starting Salary
$25,750 Median Student Debt

Conn College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of New London. This college ranks 5th out of 28 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were roughly 23 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Conn College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the international relations program make around $44,217 for their early career.

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

9
St. Anselm College crest
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NH
57.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Manchester, St. Anselm College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 4th out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were approximately 7 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at St. Anselm College in the most recent data year.

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

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 301 1,055
Connecticut 241 145
New Hampshire 210 78
Maine 202 19
Rhode Island 200 70
Vermont 194 165

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 1,562
International Security 81
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 38

View All International Relations Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 5,686
Political Science & Government 4,022
Sociology 1,835
Anthropology 741
General Social Sciences 486
Geography & Cartography 412
Other Social Sciences 278
Urban Studies 110
Sociology & Anthropology 49
Archeology 29

View All International Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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