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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for International Relations & National Security

19 Ranked Colleges
87 Degrees Awarded
$49,080 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

International Relations & National Security is the 67th most popular major in the country with 13,958 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , international relations & national security graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $41,264 and had an average of $27,636 in loans still to pay off.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 87 international relations & national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in international relations & national security. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their international relations & national security program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The international relations school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major”.

Top 19 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for International Relations & National Security

1
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Tufts University landed the #1 spot on the list. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Tufts International Relations & National Security Report

2
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont Graduate University landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Claremont Graduate University

3
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. Old Dominion is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Old Dominion University International Relations & National Security Report

4
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s international relations degrees to 16 students in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Johns Hopkins International Relations & National Security Report

5
Rutgers Newark crest
Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Rutgers University - Newark landed the #5 spot on the list. Rutgers University - Newark is a fairly large school located in Newark, New Jersey that handed out 7 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Rutgers Newark International Relations & National Security Report

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking, coming in at #6. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at University of Southern California

7
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s international relations degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at K -State

8
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking, coming in at #8. The American University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at The American University

9
DU crest
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

With a ranking of #9, University of Denver did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. Denver, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s international relations degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full DU International Relations & National Security Report

10
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

With a ranking of #10, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus International Relations & National Security Report

11

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus International Relations & National Security Report

12

University of Central Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at UCF

13

Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking, coming in at #13. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full FIU International Relations & National Security Report

14

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus International Relations & National Security Report

15
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

With a ranking of #15, Naval Postgraduate School did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. Naval Postgraduate School is a small school located in Monterey, California that handed out 265 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at Naval Postgraduate School

15
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking. Brown is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 100 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at Brown

15
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia

American Public University System ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. American Public University System is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 0 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at American Public University System

15
Institute of World Politics crest
Institute of World Politics
Washington, District of Columbia

With a ranking of #15, Institute of World Politics did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major list. This small school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s international relations degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Institute of World Politics

15
Salve Regina crest
Salve Regina University
Newport, Rhode Island

Salve Regina University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on International Relations Major ranking. Newport, Rhode Island is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s international relations degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Salve Regina

Notes and References

References

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