<p>Can anyone tell me how the strength of the Political Science/International Relations programs at JHU compares to similar programs at the following schools:</p>
<p>Washington University in St. Louis
Georgetown
University of Chicago
Amherst College
Swarthmore
Williams
Middlebury</p>
<p>I'm interested in Asian studies specifically, and I plan on going to some form of higher degree, but I don't know if It'l be a PhD, or a JD or an MBA or something else. I just know I want to study International Relations undergrad, and want to find the best place to do it. Can anyone help me out?</p>
<p>Georgetown and Hopkins would be roughly equal–and both programs are far stronger than any of the others you mentioned. At the graduate level–there are five programs that are almost universally considered the best–Hopkins, Georgetown, Princeton, Columbia and Tufts. Hopkins is usually ranked 1 or 2 (Georgetown being the other top ranked program).</p>
<p>It is much harder to rank undergraduate programs because international studies is an interdisciplinary area incorporating elements from political science, history, area studies, languages, etc. The 5 programs I mentioned above are all excellent–but frankly, since you don’t have time to specialize too much as an undergrad–any good liberal arts undergraduate program, including all the ones you mentioned, would probably be fine and provide a sufficient base for graduate studies. And, in this field, graduate studies are a must unless you want to be a research assistant for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>At Hopkins, there are two paths available. One is a joint degree program between the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies(SAIS) where you spend three years at the Homewood campus and two years at SAIS, either at the Washington campus or SAIS campuses in China or Italy. The BA is awarded after year 4, and the MA after year 5. This is a highly competitive program which you apply to during your Sophomore year at Hopkins. It doesn’t get any better than this. </p>
<p>The second is the International Studies major run out of the Political Science department. This is a normal 4 year program, but is very highly regarded. My son graduated from this program a number of years ago. He worked for a think tank in DC for 4 years, and was hired over people with MA’s from well-known programs because of JHU’s strong reputation. He is now working on his PhD in political science/international relations, and I know he felt he was very well prepared. </p>
<p>There is also a separate undergraduate program in East Asian studies, which I am not very familiar with but you can get information about it from the Hopkins website. Certainly, at the graduate level–it would be hard to beat SAIS in East Asian studies. Who else has a full campus in China (with the only open-stack academic library in the entire country)? SAIS has historically been very strong in Japanese studies as well. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>I’ll add in that International Studies is actually the most popular major at Hopkins, even more so than BME (or it was the last time I saw the numbers).</p>