<p>I'm a junior in high school and i was doing some research on the majors i'm interested in. International relations is my first choice, and i wouldnt mind doing a double degree or double major in economics as well.
The programs offered on international relations seem to be pretty varied, so i was wondering which colleges are the best for this course? I'd preferably like to pursue economics at the same time as well..</p>
<p>Check out Johns Hopkins, Middlebury, Georgetown, Princeton, American University, George Washington, Claremont McKenna, Stanford. If you like Ivies, then Columbia (though it doesn’t have an IR major, you can create on using interdisciplinary studies), then Penn, then Brown.</p>
<p>The best graduate schools for international relations are probably Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher, and Georgetown Walsh…with Princeton WWS, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and Columbia SIPA rounding off as the top three IR schools.</p>
<p>And Brown.</p>
<p>Thanks. =)
If a college doesn’t have an IR major, would it be as good to create one compared to a college which does have a reputed one? And Harvard’s consistently rated as one of the best IR schools, but i cant find it listed as a major on their website. I think its one of the government concentrations. Would that mean the same thing?</p>
<p>Many of the schools listed in Foreign Policy magazine IR ranking list does not have IR degree conferring programs. (not very useful for selecting schools for IR majors)</p>
<p>They create a list of undergraduate ranking of schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Yale, Dartmouth, UMichigan, Swarthmore, UCSD, Cornell, Williams, Duke…do not offer IR BA/BS degrees not have a dedicated IR faculty or staff, not do they have IR departments.</p>
<p>They have strong political science departments though! Academics are much more familiar with graduate programs than undergraduate programs (which explains why Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, etc… are among the very best)</p>
<p>There is no need to major in IR. Most campuses offer a range of courses suitable for most undergraduates. I have known a number of individuals that attended LACs that have gone on to get advanced degrees in IR or work for the State Department. Most majored in government and economics with a focus on international economics.</p>
<p>Only if you insist with IR…</p>
<p>I think you can get other jobs without an IR degree.</p>
<p>When we visited Macalester College International Relations seems to be a strong focus.</p>
<p>Also check into both Tufts and University of Rochester.</p>
<p>Take a look at the colleges that offer a specific IR major, and you’ll quickly see that in almost all cases that “major” is really just a combination of some poli sci courses, some econ courses, a foreign language requirement, perhaps a few history courses, and possibly a geographical “area” concentration requirement. That’s a course of study that can be replicated at any top college or university. An undergrad IR degree confers no real advantage in the job market, in internships, or in admissions to graduate programs in IR (or in any other field) over a BA degree in poli sci, econ, history, or area studies, provided your course selection is appropriately focused on international affairs. Bottom line, a BA in political science from a school like Harvard, Princeton, or Yale will likely get you farther than an IR degree from any school in the land that offers one. Get into the best school you can, and work from there.</p>
<p>So basically i should just concentrate on getting into a good university with a strong pol sc./ eco department. I’m really keen on getting into the Huntsman program so let’s see how that works out!
Thanks for all the help.</p>
<p>Tufts, MIT, HYP, Georgetown, JHU, American, GWU.</p>
<p>There are many more, of course, but these were the first that came to mind.</p>
<p>Post #2 has compiled a wonderful list of schools to consider. A further refinement of this list might be to examine the study abroad options at each school listed to determine whether or not opportunities exist in your geographic area of interest. This, surprisingly, is more difficult than one might expect. Middlebury & Dartmouth Colleges encourage & facilitate study abroad whereas other universities & colleges offer study abroad programs that interfere with necessary courses & require the student to jump through a variety of hoops before being qualified to receive study abroad credit.</p>
<p>I studied IR, among other things, Bclintok’s advice–indeed all the advice above-- is excellent. Before asking for schools, you should think about what your family can afford; post your GPA and boards; and think about large schools vs. small; regions of the country; urban/suburban/rural; etc</p>
<p>Anyone recommend a school for IR or International Affairs that has a study abroad program in Taiwan? I was thinking of Brown, Tufts, U of Virginia, Georgetown, GW, U of San Diego. I haven’t looked at JH. Has anyone got any ideas? My focus is going to be on Taiwan/China (East Asian Diplomacy/Democracy/HumanRights etc)</p>
<p>Occidental has a great IR program.</p>
<p>I don’t know about Taiwan, but Johns Hopkins has a campus in Nanjing for graduate international studies. I understand it has the only open stack library in China. [Hopkins-Nanjing</a> Center | Home](<a href=“The Hopkins-Nanjing Center | Johns Hopkins SAIS”>The Hopkins-Nanjing Center | Johns Hopkins SAIS)</p>
<p>University of Washington is very big on the Asian international affairs for obvious reasons. Don’t exclude Georgia Tech’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and their International Plan. It is very well organized.</p>
<p>Definitely take a look at William & Mary, especially if you are interested in doing research as an undergrad. Czech out this: [Institute</a> for the Theory and Practice of International Relations | Home](<a href=“http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/]Institute”>http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/)</p>
<p>W&M also has the highest study abroad rate of any top public school and is usually mistaken for a private school despite residing atop the rankings for best academics, undergraduate teaching, and best valued small public school.</p>
<p>St. Andrews</p>