<p>I have been interested in counter terrorism for the longest time and I see all these organizations (FBI, NSA, etc) that have international relations as a desired degree. I guess I always thought a degree that is more technical like finance or computer science would be more desirable over IR. What exactly does IR have that would make them so marketable for a counter-terror career?</p>
<p>Finance and Computer Science to not teach you anything about how societies or groups of people within those societies operate and interact. IR is a good catch all for studying a wide variety of international issues and different populations.</p>
<p>Another important thing (IMO) is that International Relations deals with a lot of gray area as opposed to something like computer science. In CT, you rarely operate with all the facts. You have a subset of the facts (or what you think are the facts) and you try to come to the correct conclusion.</p>
<p>There are definitely people with finance backgrounds doing CT, as they follow the money around the world. They also do white collar crime.</p>
<p>IR also teaches the foundational skills, like reading, writing, and critical thinking.</p>
<p>very good insight thank you. I would assume that a IR degree with some finance thrown in there (some universities have classes within IR that tailor to economics and finance as well) would be a pretty good coverage for a candidate in CT.</p>
<p>the more you can diversify your skill set, the better, IMO. Getting an undergrad degree does not make you an “expert” in anything, really. If you take the right classes you can tweak your resume though, and highlight different things for the specific position you are applying for.</p>
<p>Remember CT is a small subset of what all of those agencies you listed do. They also look at all kinds of other things that are happening in the world.</p>
<p>And of you want to work for those organizations start early trying to get summer internships that will help you get your security clearance before graduation.</p>