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2024 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southwest Region

18 Colleges in the Southwest Region
770 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$47,568 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.

College Factual looked at 18 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 770 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 Southwest 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

Bachelor's Degrees in International Relations
Master'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 Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest Region Schools in International Relations

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In TX

Rice University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were approximately 16 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$54,762 Median Starting Salary

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in international relations & national security. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were roughly 124 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security program at Texas A&M University - College Station earn $7,194 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$38,881 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Baylor University if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 37 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the international relations program make about $38,881 in their early career salary.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 International Relations Degrees Awarded
34.3% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in international relations & national security. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 67 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of about $2,422 above the typical income of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from The University of Texas at Austin

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 International Relations Degrees Awarded
4.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 45 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security program at University of Arizona make $20,715 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$38,978 Median Starting Salary

Embry-Riddle Prescott is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Prescott. A Best Colleges rank of #294 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Embry-Riddle Prescott is a great university overall.

There were roughly 86 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Embry-Riddle Prescott in the most recent data year. After graduating, international relations degree recipients typically earn an average of $38,978 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott

7
Trinity U crest
Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In TX
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Trinity U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Antonio. This university ranks 16th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 8 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Trinity U in the most recent data year.

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

8
Angelo State crest
Angelo State University
San Angelo, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 International Relations Degrees Awarded
38.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of San Angelo, Angelo State is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 57th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 103 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Angelo State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security major at Angelo State University earn $17,116 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

9
St. Mary's crest
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$55,955 Median Starting Salary

St. Mary's is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Antonio. This university ranks 51st out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 22 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at St. Mary's in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at St. Mary's University make $8,387 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from St. Mary’s University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In TX
66.7% Growth in Graduates

TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 6 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year.

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

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 443
Arizona 287 238
Oklahoma 257 9
New Mexico 219 11

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 471
International Security 182
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 117

View All International Relations Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 4,291
Economics 2,950
Sociology 2,832
Anthropology 1,085
Geography & Cartography 1,042
General Social Sciences 720
Other Social Sciences 136
Urban Studies 50
Archeology 17
Demography & Population Studies 6

View All International Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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