International Relations

College Majors Foreign Language & Culture Majors
1

I have a lot of questions about an International Relations/Affairs/Studies Major. The Political, Cultural and Language aspects interest me, and I am wondering what it really entails.

  1. Prospects for an International Relations Major. Will this major generally require a higher degree? With just a bachelor’s, what kind of jobs will an International Relations Major see?

  2. I assume that you will have to be proficient in at least one other language to be successful in the field. In addition to the interdisciplinary foreign language, could you double major in a language for more experience, would this be worth it?

  3. Schools. Is it necessary to go to a top school to be immediately successful in the field? Such as Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and the schools in DC like Georgetown, American and GW? Would it be better to go to a smaller school, with possibly more specific internships and connections, or a larger school with more resources and funding?

2

Yes, this major requires a higher degree, and preferably from one of the top programs in the country. Your undergraduate degree is best from a place where you have connections and possibilities of internships (so that, for example, a school -even if smaller - near a big city with international institutions is better than a school in, say, Wyoming.) It’s best if you also have technical expertise, and of course you’re expected to be fluent in at least one foreign language. Critical Language Flagships are excellent ways to get into IR.