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2023 Best International Relations & Security Master's Degree Schools

90 Colleges
$56,002 Avg Salary

Finding the Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 14,306 people earned a degree or certificate in international relations and national security, making the major the #66 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best International Relations & Security Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 90 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best International Relations & National Security Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 15% Best International Relations & National Security Master's Degree Schools

#1

Rice University

Houston, TX

Our analysis found Rice University to be the best school for international relations and national security students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

Full International Relations & National Security at Rice University Report

#2

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Master’s Degree Schools list. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

Full International Relations & National Security at Duke University Report

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Out of the 90 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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

#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#5

Yale University

New Haven, CT

The excellent master’s degree programs at Yale University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best international relations and national security schools in the United States. Yale is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.

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

#6

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree international relations and national security programs. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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#7

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

With a ranking of #7, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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#8

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.

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

#9

Tufts University

Medford, MA

Tufts University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for international relations and national security students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full International Relations & National Security at Tufts University Report

#10

Institute of World Politics

Washington, DC

With a ranking of #10, Institute of World Politics did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Washington, Institute of World Politics is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#12

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

With a ranking of #12, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree international relations and national security programs. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at University of California - San Diego

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for International Relations & Security students that almost earned our Best International Relations & Security Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
14 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
15 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
16 George Washington University Washington, DC
17 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
18 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

International Relations & National Security by Region

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

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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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