What major do I need?

Hi!

After thinking for a while I have decided that I’d love to work at UN or OBSCE department. Or somewhere in refugee/immigration department in my homecountry. The major I chose is “Political Science and International Relations”. Can I work there with such a major?

Rather than targeting a specific organization, you would do better to think about the kind of work you are interested in and the skills required to be of value in that field. A degree in political science and international relations will not qualify you for any serious professional-level position an a major international organization like the UN, World Bank or IMF: More likely, you will end up in an internship somewhere (probably unpaid) to start with (but not in any of these three organizations which only consider graduate students). Once you figure out where exactly you want to be, you then will almost certainly need to go to graduate school for further training.

Of course, we don’t know what country you are from and we won’t know what qualifications you would need to get a job in the govt of your home country. You would do better to talk to someone there about how to get a job in the refugee services/immigration depts.

Well, a major in political science and international relations is certainly a good start. As N’sMom noted, though, most of these very prestigious international NGOs are going to want people with master’s degrees. (I am also willing to bet that the World Bank and the IMF hires far more economists than they hire people who work directly with refugees).

So yes, a PS/IR major can get you there, but be prepared to have to get graduate education too.

In the U.S., there are lots of organizations that work with immigrants; you could work for a government agency (with pretty much any major) or you could work for a nonprofit or NGO that specializes in helping immigrants. There are a variety of degrees that can help with that; social science majors, social work, public policy and/or administration, and law degrees might be some of the most helpful. I don’t know what the equivalent would be in your country.

Skills in an area like public health, nutrition, agriculture, nursing, engineering, economics, etc. provide the best pathway.

https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=BG
http://www.coyotecommunications.com/stuff/workabroad.shtml
https://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/10/30/working-united-nations-insider-application-tips