<p>Hello everyone. Ive recently become interested in pursuing a masters in IR. What are the top 10 if not top 20 schools for IR? Im currently a second year undergrad at Berkeley studying Political Economy with a concentration in international trade. Also what would you recommend i take advantage of while still in my undergrads? Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>Study a foreign language during your undergrad. to the point of fluency (both speaking and reading).</p>
<p>Get internships.</p>
<p>Agree with the foreign language and internship advice.</p>
<p>Look at the ~25 “full member institutions” in the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs at <a href=“http://www.apsia.org%5B/url%5D”>www.apsia.org</a>. You can request information from each one of them there (but some will be more responsive than others). These represent the best schools in the field.</p>
<p>There is a biennial ranking of international relations programs (master’s and PhD) published by Foreign Policy magazine. The methodology relies heavily on survey input from academicians and not much on factors like career options, student qualifications, etc. It is good if you are planning an academic career and considering the reputation of your future PhD. I don’t care for it much for the master’s programs however.</p>
<p>For disclosure, I was director of admissions at one of the APSIA schools for three years ending a few years ago.</p>