Hi. I have a full ride to William and Mary and am trying to figure out what to major in. Would any of these degrees work for basic government entry-level jobs? Could an IR degree work for a policy analyst position or a Gov degree work for a diplomatic position?
Any of them could work!
The government major at W&M seems like a typical political science major anywhere else - some classes in introductory politics (American and comparative), classes in political theory, a research methods class, and some upper-level electives in what are essentially political science courses. Some economics is recommended.
International relations, as at most places, is an interdisciplinary major. Majors take courses in government, economics, history, sociology, and anthropology, and potentially psychology and religion as well. The unifying factor is the concentration on how different countries relate to each other and not the disciplinary approach. You also have to demonstrate proficiency in a modern foreign language, either by taking seven semesters of a single language (three above the College’s 4-semester requirement) OR taking at least five semesters of one language and four semesters of another.
Public policy is also an interdisciplinary and applied major - about the process and impact of making and implementing government policy, of course, but through a social science lens at W&M. You take core courses in economics, government, and philosophy (including statistics and research methods), and then electives from any of those fields and/or history, math, psychology, religion, sociology and/or business.
I’d think of government (political science) as the disciplinary foundation of the other two. It’ll likely be the most abstract and broad, and the least applied. International relations will be in the middle, with lots of foundational social science work and some applied coursework as well. Public policy will be the most applied - you will take some foundational social science courses for a good bedrock, but much of the coursework will be focused on the application of social sciences to policy work in government.
It sounds like you just got admitted and will begin in August or September. You’ve got some time - you can take some classes in each one of these areas and decide later.