Hi everyone! I am a rising senior and planning to major in International Relations in college. I may either minor in psychology and or poli sci as well. I was wondering if anyone knew of good schools for international relations. As of now I am applying to George Washington, UPenn, and American. Since IR isn’t a highly popular major I havn’t been able to find a lot of good info thus far. Any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated
Macalester does not have IR specifically but is known for international development and global studies.
Tufts.
I like the Foreign Policy list. Just search for it.
IR is interdisciplinary program. Normally including Poli Sci, Foreign Language, and another topic (Econ, History, Etc). Some schools have formalized it into a degree program. If a school hasn’t, it is often easy to do it yourself. Because of the close linkage, some schools will not allow a double major in Poli Sci and IR. It really wouldn’t help your resume anyway.
You already mentioned that you’re going to apply to AU, but I’m here as a resource in case you have any questions! Feel free to PM me.
Tufts and Georgetown
IR is an incredibly popular major, although depending on the college, it may be listed as Government or Poli Sci, or under one of the regional studies departments (Latin American Studies, Asian studies, etc.) It doesn’t need to be called IR.
You will not need to “minor” in poli sci- you will get plenty of poli sci as part of your required courses in the discipline.
What does your profile look like, what are your financial constraints, what is your instate flagship U? Start there.
This is not true. Majoring in Political Science or Government is incredibly different from majoring in IR. For starters, Political Science majors typically focus on American politics and political theory, or depending on the school, choose a concentration that can include IR. Political Science, Government, and IR are all very different fields, that occasionally overlap. Majoring in Political Science at a school that doesn’t offer IR isn’t comparable to majoring in IR.
Also, there are many IR majors who do a minor in Political Science. While most students take political science courses as part of the IR major, they typically focus on political science as it relates to IR, not political theory or American politics, like a political science minor would.
If you’re feeling adventurous you can look at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Their IR major is very well regarded.
You can also double major in psychology as well.
Knowing or developing sub-areas of interest can be helpful. For example, some people want to work for a government agency in a particular area. Others might have an interest in understanding economics . IR/Government/ or Poly Sci (which are named different things and vary by school and department but are essentially very similar and often equal). Look at the curriculum and approach for each school and see what fits.
Most of the people I knew in this field as undergrads developed areas of interests which led them into graduate or even Phd studies. Some went into political economy, some went into foreign service, some economics, some political philosophy and so on.
It’s important to learn a language ( or five) as most of these areas involve working in or researching other places. It’s also important to understand the cultural dynamics of an area. And for those who are interested in political philosophy or even history, there are sub areas which can be studied. Most colleges and universities, even small ones will allow a student to take courses in multiple areas. This can be particularly helpful as you pull together classes which interest you.
My son is an IR major. He has a topical focus and then an area focus and a language focus as well.
Before you pick a school, maybe look at what you want to do with that degree and work backwards from there.