<p>I have heard of this major recently as it was suggested as a possible major for me by a College Admissions Officer from Illinois Wesleyan. He says it incorporates History, Economics and Political Science all into one.</p>
<p>He suggested it since I am planning on double majoring in History and Economics. So my question(s) are as followed:</p>
<p>Is this major something I would like, given my interest in History and Economics?
Is this a viable major in today's job market?</p>
<p>If you yourself have majored in this or are currently doing so I encourage you to share your experiences.</p>
<p>Thank you all for reading this and hopefully shedding some light on this matter!</p>
<p>IR is an interdisciplinary subject incorporating economics, politics, history, and philosophy with some anthropology, sociology, and psychology thrown in there somewhere. Depending on what you focus on, there is also gender studies, conflict resolution, area studies, and language.</p>
<p>There is typically two classes in IR: policy and theory.</p>
<p>While a major in IR does use both economics and history, it is entirely different than economics and history majors. Pick up a copy of Foreign Policy Magazine. That will give you an idea of what IR is.</p>
<p>A career in IR can lead to a number of different places. State Department, CIA, NGOs, Public Relations for big firms, think tanks, academia, and IGOs to name some.</p>
<p>Although I have a deep interest in IR, im planning to double major in economics and politics (maybe a minor in philosophy or a language [arabic or spanish, haven’t decided] or areas studies). That way, I can decide later if I want to get an MBA if it turns out I like finance more, or if I want to go into a masters degree in IR. If you decide you want to go into IR, i would suggest doing it during your masters since you’ll probably need an MA in IR later anyway (might as well do something different during your undergrad). Hope this helps. message me if you have more questions. GL!</p>
<p>No, there are few job prospects for such a degree. Most of the agencies that overcore listed are extrmely hard to get hired at. And to work in academia, you would need a master’s degree at a minimum.</p>
<p>^ Homer28 is correct.</p>
<p>Most of the agencies are very difficult to get in, and even harder to do work related to IR. It’s not practical.</p>
<p>If you did get hired by the State Dept., it would most likely be a low level job processing passport applications. They generally don’t hire recent grads for foreign policy related jobs. In fact, just to apply to most foreign policy related jobs, you already need to be employed by the State Dept. Your only option would be to get some strong work experience and then try to get into the Franklin Fellows Program (which is NOT open to recent grads).</p>
<p>You would need a masters/phd for academia in IR. Getting a position at an NGO is not difficult. I got an internship at one and I haven’t even started college yet.</p>
<p>I will cede/reemphasize that saving IR for your masters is a good choice. Doing economics/politics leaves you with a wider skill set/knowledge base and leaves your options open as far as a masters degree goes.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that IB firms, funds, etc. don’t exclusively hire business majors by any means. It more depends on where you went, your grades, connections, interview, etc. Some top IB firms prefer a liberal arts degree to a business undergrad because a liberal arts degree leaves you with a greater breadth of knowledge vs. a major full of stuff they would teach you anyway, or that you would relearn in an MBA. Of course top IB firms tend to hire from the top colleges, which is something to keep in mind.</p>