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Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools

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2023 Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools

133 Colleges
$41,288 Avg Salary
$21,455 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best International Relations & National Security School for You

In 2020-2021, 5,010 people earned a degree or certificate in international relations and national security, making the major the #48 most popular in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. This report analyzed 133 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the International Relations & National Security program at each school on the list.

Check out the international relations programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Our analysis found Johns Hopkins University to be the most popular school for international relations and national security students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means George Washington University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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#3

Tufts University

Medford, MA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Tufts University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Tufts University

#4

American University

Washington, DC

The excellent programs at American University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best international relations and national security schools in the United States. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.

Full International Relations & National Security at American University Report

#5

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Georgetown University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full International Relations & National Security at Georgetown University Report

Naval Postgraduate School came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Monterey, Naval Postgraduate School is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Naval Postgraduate School

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Columbia University in the City of New York

#8

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Harvard University

#9

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#10

New York University

New York, NY

New York University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

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Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Texas A&M University - College Station

University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at University of California - San Diego

#13

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

With a ranking of #13, Syracuse University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse.

Full International Relations & National Security at Syracuse University Report

#14

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full International Relations & National Security at Liberty University Report

#15

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population.

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#16

Norwich University

Northfield, VT

Norwich University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the town of Northfield, Norwich is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Norwich University

#17

Troy University

Troy, AL

Troy University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the remote town of Troy, TROY is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Troy University

Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.

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#19

University of Denver

Denver, CO

With a ranking of #19, University of Denver did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Full International Relations & National Security at University of Denver Report

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for International Relations & Security students that almost earned our Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools award.

Rank College Location
20 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
20 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
22 Duke University Durham, NC
23 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
24 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
25 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
26 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Monterey, CA

International Relations & National Security by Region

View the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 12 majors within the area of study, international relations and national security has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to International Relations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
Political Science & Government 2,664
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907
Anthropology 1,446

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to RepubFan12.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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