Government vs. International Relations + Liberal Arts Colleges for International Relations

@wordgenius, I’ve lived and worked in Asia for about 30 years and though I’m in the private sector I have interacted extensively with “official Americans” in the foreign service and people involved in a wide range of NGO’s. Though their graduate degrees seem to come from the same handful of Master’s and PhD programs, their undergraduate educations vary widely – from medium sized privates to LACs to big State Universities.

The key I think to an international career is to start building a resume during your undergraduate years with summer jobs and internships and study abroad opportunities. You can do this at just about any college or university. To me, the location of the school is not a significant factor. School-year internships are less
important than how you spend your summers and the people you network with during the school year. These will lead to post-undergraduate entry level positions which will lead to graduate school admissions and ultimately to a career in your area of interest and expertise.

As mentioned by other posters, many colleges take a interdisciplinary approach to international relations and global studies with tangents involving development economics, finance, public health, education, arts programs, environmental sustainability etc. So, although it’s too early to map out a career path, you should think about which aspect of working overseas appeals to you.

My advice would be to attend the most academically rigorous college that you can afford, with an environment and culture that fits your personality and learning style. If you are attracted to the LAC experience, then by all means pursue CMC and Williams and some of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

I don’t know too much about CMC’s programs, but I can attest that Pomona has an excellent track record in placing students in a wide variety of organizations in Asia. I would note Williams’ Center for Development Economics which, though a graduate program, offers international networking opportunities, and Winter Study a chance to dig deeper into whatever interests you. Both schools have excellent reputations among graduate school admissions.

Affordability is a big issue as those entry level jobs available to newly minted BA/BS degree holders are often unpaid or poorly paid. Especially in Asia, internships may offer a stipend but not enough to cover housing and transportation, and you may need to supplement your income to take advantage of the best opportunities.

Fluency in at least one foreign language is a big plus, though for foreign service positions, having the aptitude to learn languages is more important than being multi-lingual. There are a lot of languages spoken in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia and career diplomatics and foreign service officers tend to move around as they move up. They need to be able to pick up the local language fast.

I think the reason that you’ve received such diverse responses is that “international” work covers a lot of ground and there are many routes to success.

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