International Relations at Pepperdine

<p>Hey everyone. I'm just wondering how Pepperdine's International Relations program is. I am deciding between American and Pepperdine. I like Pepperdine's atmosphere, experience, location, attitude better than American, but American has a top rated International Relations program. Does anyone know if Pepperdine's IR program is good?</p>

<p>I don't know anything about the progam. My D's friend is International Business, went to China for a semester and loved it. he felt he learned so much through that international program and interacted with professionals from all over.</p>

<p>When my D was checking out Pepperdine she contacted her dept. chair and met with her to get a better feel for the theater program. If distance is a problem, try email correspondence.</p>

<p>Pepperdine doesn't have an international relations major per se but they do have international studies (I'm pretty sure they're basically the same thing). I went to the information session on the international studies major on Saturday and they emphasized how their study abroad opportunities enrich their international studies program, how they're beginning a semester in DC program next year, and how being an international studies major is useful in today's world. I'm not sure how prestigious Pepperdine's program is, but the head of the department that talked to us seemed very passionate about it and the students majoring in international studies seemed confident that they are receiving a good education. If you have any more specific questions/ concerns, I'll be happy to address them.</p>

<p>lucky....are you an international studies major?
What other schools are you comparing?
I really like pepperdine(and they are the most affordable for me), and I am trying to decide between pepperdine and american. American is very well known for their International studies/relations program.</p>

<p>the problem is, I like Pepperdine's environment/atmosphere/school in general better than american. and american is about 4000 more than pepperdine. I would love to go to pepperdine, I just don't want to get a sub-par international studies degree when i could get one of the best at american(not to say that pepperdine's is subpar, I just dont know anything at all about it.)</p>

<p>I'm not sure exactly what my major will be (I put undeclared on my application), but I'm leaning toward international studies. Honestly, I haven't really researched Pepperdine's program because I'm still not certain that I will major in it but I don't think it's absolutely terrible simply because Pepperdine is a good school. I think Pepperdine's program is unique in that it offers so many study abroad opportunities (you can go overseas multiple times), which really interests me because it allows students to apply their knowledge in the real world instead of just learning about theories in a classroom. In my opinion, it is most important to choose the school that you like the best, which may not necessarily be the one with the best academics. If you like Pepperdine's atmosphere better than American's, then you should probably go to Pepperdine because even if you are getting a "better" education at American, it will be a waste of your college experience because you won't be as happy as you would be at Pepperdine. As hard as it may be, remember that academics are just a portion of your college experience and it's just as important to choose a school for its atmosphere.</p>