“International relations” can go by many different names. Commonly referred to simply as “IR,” international relations or international affairs is the study of how the politics, economics, and laws of different nations are interrelated and connected on a global level. At many schools, IR is a subfield of political science and public policy. More and more often, it is also being replaced by the term “global studies,” which is less associated with poly-sci. The strongest programs and majors for IR are often found at larger research institutions, but many small liberal arts colleges also provide fascinating programs and opportunities to delve into IR. We list the best 11 majors and programs here.
Carleton College
To study IR at Carleton, students major in Political Science with a track in international relations. Carleton offers off-campus study programs coordinated with the department, like “(Beyond) Nationalism and Xenophobia in Central and Eastern Europe,” “Political Economy and Ecology in Southeast Asia,” and “Political Science in Washington, D.C.” Students are guided by advisors about what program is the best fit for them, how to prepare for the experience, and how to reintegrate upon return, and additional programs are offered during the December, spring, and summer breaks. Global Engagement programs are also offered which emphasize interdisciplinary and experiential learning through independent field research projects and engagement with community members in the places of study.
Middlebury College
Middlebury calls itself the “leading global liberal arts college,” and although some other schools on this list might give Midd a run for its money, this goal means that the IR program at Middlebury is very strong. The program in International and Global Studies offers nine different areas of specialization, either regional or thematic, in African, East Asian, European, Global Gender and Sexuality, Global Security, Latin American, Middle East, Russian and East European, and South Asian Studies. IGS (International Global Studies) is one of the most popular majors at Middlebury. This makes sense in part given that Middlebury’s language programs are famously strong and diverse. Students in IGS are also required to study abroad for one semester and preferably for two through a Middlebury-approved abroad program.
This is all made astoundingly easy by the fact that although Middlebury is located in rural central Vermont, it has longstanding and well-respected international programs through its Language Schools (intensive, immersive summer programs taught in the US in 11 languages), C.V. Starr Schools Abroad (immersive study abroad), and its own Institute of International Studies at Monterey, in California. Grants are awarded for research abroad through the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, where students can also intern and help create the student-designed/run Annual International Conference.
Wellesley College
To study IR at Wellesley, students pick a track in either Economics, History, or Political Science, making the major inherently interdisciplinary. All IR students are required to study a core language and are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester in a study-abroad program. This is important because study abroad is extremely popular at Wellesley––almost 50% of students do it at some point in their time there, and there are 180 diverse programs in dozens of countries to choose from. Summer internships and community service opportunities around the world are also possible. Wellesley students also have the option to cross-register at local schools like MIT and Babson as well as Spelman College in Georgia. And potentially most exciting is their 5-year program with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland (home to a major site of the UN). Students in the program receive a BA from Wellesley and a masters from the Graduate Institute, spending the fall of their senior year in Geneva and returning for the spring semester to graduate.
Macalester College
To study transnational relations, Macalester students work within the International Studies Department: the “oldest, broadest, and deepest” program of its kind at any private liberal arts college in the world. International studies at Macalester is always interdisciplinary and also always includes a five-course focus, giving students depth in a discipline they choose. This interdisciplinary approach is actually more notable than it might seem initially, because IS students can connect the humanities, social sciences, fine arts and physical sciences to study globalization and transnational systems in a way that they sometimes can’t within the IR programs at other schools. Academic internships, which are primarily done in the fall and spring semesters (though they can be completed in January) are also often key to IS students’ development.
Pomona College
International Relations majors at Pomona use politics, economics, history, and language to study international issues, including one mandatory course on US foreign policy. A thesis and one semester of study abroad are also required. Half of Pomona students study abroad anyway, and the school offers 60 programs in 34 countries for its own students. Meanwhile, on campus, the I-Place is located steps away at Claremont McKenna College and is a hub for events focused on international issues and exchange. Serious international education is also possible without even leaving Claremont, through the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations. There, 145 students can choose to live in a variety of foreign language sections: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. The sections host an IR colloquium, a film series, and language meals, and are assisted by a native-speaking graduate, or Language Resident.
Swarthmore College
Ranked 24th on Foreign Policy’s 2018 “Top U.S. Undergraduate Institutions to Study International Relations” and one of only two small liberal arts schools to make that list, Swarthmore has one of the strongest programs in international relations in the country for a small liberal arts college. They technically offer a minor in Global Studies that is part of the Global Studies Initiative at the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, with an interdisciplinary focus on the interaction between the local and global levels. A handful of engaged scholarship courses (what’s that?) are offered every semester, as well as the opportunity to contribute to the War News Radio, International Relations Club, and the International Relations Journal. To create a special major in Global Studies, students can work with coordinators to develop a plan that would include extra credits.
Williams College
Williams is the other small liberal arts college that made it onto FP’s top 20 list. Even given the college’s remote location in Western Massachusetts, Williams is well-known for its Global Studies program. Of the five elective courses that are part of the academic requirements for the minor, Williams students can complete one or more of those courses on an approved study abroad program. Williams also has Winter Study, a program where students take one class pass/fail during January. Winter Study courses are often organized around short-term trips, or students can choose to do research, fieldwork, or on/off campus internships, giving students in the Global Studies programs even more opportunities to do interdisciplinary work or work abroad.
Claremont McKenna College
Given that Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is highly known for its programs in Econ, Political Science, and Government, it’s only natural that it has a strong IR program as well. Students have to take classes in government and economics, and then they go on to electives with a thematic or geographic emphasis. More than a dozen research institutes and laboratory centers, including the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, are available for undergraduate engagement in research. The Keck Center also awards several fellowships in international studies that carry a stipend of $1,000 and support ongoing research by CMC students. Last, CMC is also home to the I-Place, or the International Place of the Claremont Colleges, which is a center for cultural exchange and international educational programs. It’s designed as an international community, where foreign and domestic students, faculty, and community members can gather.
Amherst College
Amherst is another one of the places where IR is not offered as a full major but as a certificate program, which can be completed in collaboration with the Five-College Consortium. Like most schools, students must demonstrate competence in a foreign language. Classes from the other four colleges in the Consortium can be used towards the completion of the certificate, as well as courses from study abroad. Amherst currently has 160 approved programs in over 50 countries where students can study for a semester or a year, several bilateral exchanges (in Lebanon, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, India, and Japan), and in the summertime, the college offers alumni-sponsored short-term fellowships around the world, though those are not for credit.
Colby College
Students at Colby who elect to major in Global Studies engage in a comparative study of transnational issues and employ four disciplines to do so––government, history, economics, and anthropology––as well as language study. They student abroad for 1-2 semesters junior year, like in many other places, but can choose from 200 study abroad programs. DavisConnects is the clearinghouse where students can apply (in multiple cycles per year) to receive funding for global, internship, and research experiences starting in their very first semester at Colby. In particular, the Hunt Grant supports undergraduate field research with a max-$1500 award for a two-semester independent project during senior year.
Vassar College
Vassar’s International Studies program is a flexible and multidisciplinary major that allows students to craft a course of study that includes advance work in two departments and a senior year thesis. Study abroad is mandatory, like at other schools, but unique to Vassar is the sponsored annual study trip by the department, which is taken with a semester-long course. In the past, students have traveled to Indonesia, Jamaica, Russia, Vietnam, Chile, Morocco, and elsewhere.
There are plenty of other schools with strong programs in international relations. If you need help deciding where to apply or how to tailor your application to express your interest in international issues, just reach out to us here.