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2025 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southwest Region

15 Colleges in the Southwest Region
809 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$47,717 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in international relations & national security is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #67 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 15 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of international relations & national security. Combined, these schools handed out 809 degrees in international relations & national security to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School

Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of international relations & national security school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall International Relations & National Security School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your International Relations & National Security Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in International Relations
Master's Degrees in International Relations

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for International Relations & National Security in the Southwest Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the international relations degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in International Relations

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX

Rice University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 25 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Rice University earn $34,603 more than the average international relations grad.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Rice University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$62,281 Median Starting Salary

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in international relations & national security. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were roughly 112 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,563 above the average income of international relations & national security majors.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$61,625 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a good decision for students interested in a degree in international relations & national security. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 60 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin receive an earnings boost of about $13,908 over the typical earnings of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 International Relations Degrees Awarded
30.2% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Baylor University if you want to pursue a degree in international relations & national security. Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 53 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, international relations degree recipients generally make about $37,507 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Baylor University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 International Relations Degrees Awarded
$46,868 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Prescott, Embry-Riddle Prescott is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 67 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at Embry-Riddle Prescott in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the international relations program make an average of $46,868 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott

6

Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 16 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Those international relations & national security students who get their degree from Arizona State University - Tempe make $21,240 more than the typical international relations graduate.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Arizona State University - Tempe

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 International Relations Degrees Awarded
10.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 50 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. International Relations & National Security degree recipients from University of Arizona earn a boost of approximately $28,146 over the average earnings of international relations & national security majors.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of Arizona

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 International Relations Degrees Awarded
19.1% Growth in Graduates

ASU - Skysong is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Scottsdale. This university ranks 8th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 89 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the international relations & national security program at Arizona State University - Skysong make $21,240 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from Arizona State University - Skysong

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NM
41 International Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 24 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were roughly 41 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UNM in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from University of New Mexico - Main Campus

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 International Relations Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

UTSA is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Antonio. This university ranks 23rd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 41 international relations & national security students who graduated with this degree at UTSA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, international relations degree recipients typically earn around $25,879 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in international relations & national security from The University of Texas at San Antonio

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

Explore the best international relations & national security colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 443
Arizona 287 238
Oklahoma 257 9
New Mexico 219 11

View All Rankings >

International Relations & National Security is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

International Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
International Relations 453
International Security 217
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 139

View All International Relations Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 4,071
Economics 2,794
Sociology 2,754
Anthropology 1,061
Geography & Cartography 1,054
General Social Sciences 833
Other Social Sciences 62
Urban Studies 52
Archeology 10
Demography & Population Studies 8

View All International Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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