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Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region

42 Colleges
$34,297 Avg Salary
$22,820 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best International Relations & National Security School for You

International Relations & National Security is the #66 most popular major in the country with 14,306 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for international relations majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best International Relations & National Security Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for international relations and national security students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

While working on their degree, international relations majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $15,450 in student debt.

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#2

Denison University

Granville, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Denison University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Granville, Denison is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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#4

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Michigan State take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $366, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

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Wheaton College Illinois landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best international relations and national security programs. Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Wheaton College Illinois take out is $26,000.

Full International Relations & National Security at Wheaton College Illinois Report

#7

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University ranked #7 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Marquette take out is $21,500.

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

#8

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College ranked #8 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lake Forest.

Full International Relations & National Security at Lake Forest College Report

#9

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.

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University of Southern Indiana came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. USI is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Evansville.

Full International Relations & National Security at University of Southern Indiana Report

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges by State

Explore the best international relations and national security schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 213
Ohio 446
Illinois 389
Indiana 201
Wisconsin 76

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
Anthropology 11,415

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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