2024 Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Schools
a master's degree in
international relations & national security is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #43 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 85 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for international relations & national security students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,426 master's degrees in international relations & national security to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of international relations & national security for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master'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 master'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 master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized international relations & national security related body.
Our complete 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 master'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 Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Featured International Relations & National Security Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study International Relations & National Security in the United States
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for international relations & national security students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
12 Top Schools for a Master's in International Relations
Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
International Relations & National Security master's degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University get an earnings boost of approximately $13,103 over the average income of international relations & national security graduates.
More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Johns Hopkins University
It is difficult to beat Yale University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in international relations & national security. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Yale University
Harvard University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Harvard University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in international relations & national security has to check out Georgetown University. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.
Master's recipients from the international relations & national security major at Georgetown University make $15,690 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Georgetown University
Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the international relations & national security major at Tufts University make $11,506 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in international relations & national security from Tufts University
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