<p>Hello, I have been accepted to both York College of Pennsylvania and Bloomsburg University, both are very comparable academically and both have very nice campuses but i am having a great deal of difficulty deciding. I am currently considering Law School after college but after 4 years of school, i may not want to continue, not to mention the cost of law school. </p>
<p>What may be a deciding factor in my decision is that York College offers the International Relations major and Bloomsburg does not. It seems like an interesting major but i am unsure of employment opportunities after college, i have heard about getting employment with a government agency if i decide against law school but i am unsure if this is true. </p>
<p>Can anybody tell me about some employment opportunities that someone with a B.A. in International Relations can get?</p>
<p>A BA in international relations is totally useless. The market is heavily saturated with MAs in IR, and even half of them can’t find decent paying jobs that make them happy.</p>
<p>There’s nothing particularly unique about an IR major. I wouldn’t decide between these two schools just on the basis that one of them offers an IR major. If you are truly interested in international relations, you can always major in economics and/or political science and supplement that with a judicious selection of related electives.
Also, see what I had to say about IR majors in this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html</a>
A IR major is just like any other liberal arts major in teaching critical thinking, writing, research skills, etc. It will prepare you for any number of careers in both public and private sector organizations where such skills are valued. There is not direct pathway to a particular job or career, however. The more desirable positions with government agencies, e.g., the state dept. foreign service, are quite competitive. I urge you to check out their website and learn about their requirements. Other government agencies with an international focus hire people with a wide range of skills ranging from agriculture to computer science to math to public health and so on, depending on the agency. You also should check out the global careers website at the U of Wisconsin to get a better feel for what kinds of jobs are available. [Go</a> Global! The International Careers Website](<a href=“http://go.global.wisc.edu/]Go”>http://go.global.wisc.edu/)</p>
<p>I see that IR may not be a major that offers a great variety of career opportunities. However, like many people, my talents do not lie in either math or the sciences and it seemed to me like IR would be a good start if i had intentions of getting a law degree. But as i have said earlier, a lot can happen between now and graduation from college. I feel right now that i have a real talent for both writing and critical thinking but it seems to me that as an IR major i would stand out a bit from the usual English and History majors applying for law school. </p>
<p>However, as I’ve said before if law school does not work out, a job in a government agency may be very interesting, something that i wouldn’t hate doing and even more importantly, something i may be good at. In fact one of the reasons i am leaning towards York College is that it is both very close to Harrisburg, PA and only a short distance from Baltimore, MD which tells me that the school may not be lying when they boast high internship rates for all majors. However if IR truly is over saturated, does anyone have any suggestions as to what an alternative may be?</p>
<p>Remember that IR is a subfield of political science, which is by far one of the most popular undergrad majors for aspiring law students. That being said, it won’t make you stand out from the crowd, but it will certainly prepare you well for law school.</p>
<p>If you want a government job, Public Affairs and Economics are both popular choices. Both degrees will give you a good background for possibly pursuing an MPA or MPP. In addition, economics is another major that provides excellent preparation for prelaw students.</p>
<p>As i’ve said i, my talents lay more with Writing, which is a reason i’m considering law school. I chose IR over an English major because i thought it would be better for finding a job if law school did not work out. Would English be a better pre-law major?</p>
<p>IR and English are both good prelaw majors - go with the one you find most interesting and will enjoy studying. If law school doesn’t work out, IR and English are pretty much equally bad for finding employment.</p>