2025 Best International Relations & National Security Doctor's Degree Schools

International Relations & National Security isn't the most popular doctorate program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #128 in popularity out of 306 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best International Relations & National Security Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 87 doctor's degrees in international relations & national security to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to international relations & national security students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other international relations & national security students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for international relations & national security to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized international relations & national security related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for international relations & national security students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best International Relations & National Security Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study International Relations & National Security in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for international relations & national security students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Schools for a Doctorate in International Relations

1

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

16 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in international relations & national security from Johns Hopkins University

2

Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, NJ

7 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Rutgers University - Newark if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in international relations & national security. Rutgers Newark is a fairly large public university located in the city of Newark.More information about a doctorate in international relations & national security from Rutgers University - Newark

International Relations & National Security by Region

View the Best International Relations & National Security Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to International Relations

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	81
Other International Relations & National Security Studies	6

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Economics	1,395
Political Science & Government	731
Sociology	607
Anthropology	503
Geography & Cartography	239
Other Social Sciences	92
Urban Studies	32
General Social Sciences	22
Archeology	11
Demography & Population Studies	11

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.