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Top 25 International Relations master's degree programs

According to The College of William & Mary's Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) project's most recent survey of international relations (IR) faculty: By Staff posted October 20, 2011 at 12:20 pm EDT

1.The top five

Georgetown University (Andy Nelson / The Christian Science Monitor) 1. Georgetown University Department of Government (est. 1922; government.georgetown.edu). Georgetown offers joint degrees in international relations and a master of science in foreign service through its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. It was the first to confer a degree in "international affairs." 2. Johns Hopkins University, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (1943; www.sais-jhu.edu). In addition to its Washington, D.C., campus, SAIS has locations in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China.

3. Harvard University Kennedy School of Government (1936; www.hks.harvard.edu). The Kennedy School's John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum has hosted speaking events by figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu, and George H.W. Bush over the years. 4. Tufts University Fletcher School (1933; fletcher.tufts.edu). The Fletcher School has admitted students from more than 70 countries. 5. Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (1946; sipa.columbia.edu). Nearly half of its employed 2010 graduates are working in the private sector: consulting, banking, and business.

2.Princeton - Oxford

George Washington University (Andy Nelson / The Christian Science Monitor) 6. Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs (1930; www.princeton.edu). More than 85 percent of those earning advanced degrees here find jobs in public service each year. 7. London School of Economics Department of International Relations (1927; www2.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations).

One of the oldest and largest IR programs, LSE director Sir William Beveridge felt the school should "be equipped to deal with international affairs from all the three angles of law, history and administration." 8. George Washington University Elliot School of International Affairs (1988; elliott.gwu.edu). More than 75 percent of its 2010 graduates found jobs after graduating, nearly half of them finding work in the public sector. 9. American University School of International Service (1958; american.edu/sis). The School of International Service was founded at the urging of President Dwight Eisenhower at the peak of the cold war. 10. University of Oxford Department of Politics and International Relations (2000; www.politics.ox.ac.uk). It's home to The Centre for Political Ideologies and the Oxford Centre for the Study of Inequality and Democracy, among others. The program stresses an interdisciplinary approach.

3.University of Chicago - Stanford

Stanford University (Paul Sakuma/AP) 11. University of Chicago Committee on International Relations (1928; cir.uchicago.edu). The Committee on International Relations is the oldest US program of its kind.

12. Yale University Jackson Institute for Global Affairs (2009; jackson.yale.edu). This is the newest IR program on the list. The Jackson Institute's first class began its studies in the fall of 2010. 13. Maxwell School of Syracuse University (1924; www.maxwell.syr.edu/ir). The Maxwell School has had an enduring focus on citizenship. In 2005, with a federal grant, the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs was founded, named for former Maxwell faculty member and US Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. 14. Carleton University, The Norman Patterson School of International Affairs (1965: www1.carleton.ca/npsia). Alumni have found positions in Canadian public service as well as in other governments, the United Nations, and in the private and nonprofit sectors. 15. Stanford University Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (1987; fsi.stanford.edu/centers). It conducts interdisciplinary educational programs and research.

4.Cambridge - Aberstwyth

Cambridge University (Newscom/File) 16. Cambridge University Centre of International Studies

(late 1970s; www.polis.cam.ac.uk/cis). The centre has evolved from focusing on cold-war-era national security to globalization, opportunities for international collaboration, and leadership. 17. King's College London (2003; www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/graduate/international-relations). The IR program was a new addition to the Department of War Studies, which focuses on understanding war, conflict, and international security. 18. University of California, San Diego, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (1986; irps.ucsd.edu). It's the sole program in the US to have a Pacific focus, including Asia and the Americas. 19. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies (1952; web.mit.edu/cis). Founded in response to the cold war, it was funded by the CIA in its early years. The goal was to further "social science entrepreneurship" to better understand and respond to world events. 20. Aberystwyth (Wales) University Department of International Politics (1919; www.aber.ac.uk/en/interpol/). It was founded in response to World War I as an attempt to understand the causes of conflict. It claims to be among the first programs of its kind in the world.

5.University of Denver - University of Kentucky

21. University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies (1964; www.du.edu/korbel). Included among its alumni is former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. 22. The Institute of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley,

(1955; iis.berkeley.edu). It supports research and interdisciplinary study focused on current concerns about peace, sustainability, globalization, and technology. 23. New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies (2003; www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/global-affairs/graduateprograms/ms-global-affairs/index.html). The graduate course of study is intended to prepare students for international careers. 24. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (1957; gspia.pitt.edu). It was founded to study national and international public policy. 25. University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce (1959; www.uky.edu/PattersonSchool). It prepares students for careers in diplomacy, international affairs, and commerce.

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