International Relations & National Security Studies

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2023

14,086

growing 0.917%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,938

growing 2.61%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$44,990

growing 5.59%

Average Wage

$118,290

growing 4.17%

People in Workforce

4.18M

growing 2.67%

Average Employee Age

43.3

growing 0.249%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients are Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and New York, NY. In 2023, the locations with a relatively high number of International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients are Hampden-Sydney, VA, Washington, DC, and Medford, MA. The most common degree awarded to students studying International Relations & National Security Studies is a bachelors degree.

Photo by John Gillespie

Social Sciences

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in International Relations & National Security Studies and the types of students that study this field. Johns Hopkins University awards the most degrees in International Relations & National Security Studies in the US, but Institute of World Politics and Schiller International University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies.

Tuition costs for International Relations & National Security Studies majors are, on average, $8,938 for in-state public colleges, and $44,990 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers International Relations & National Security Studies programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (264 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (8,726 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies (2023)

Johns Hopkins University
953 degrees awarded
American University
896 degrees awarded
George Washington University
871 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (8,726 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer International Relations & National Security Studies programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,938

Median In-State Public

$44,990

Median Out of State Private

Johns Hopkins University has the most International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients, with 953 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer International Relations & National Security Studies programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Institute of World Politics has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies

District of Columbia, DC
2,457 degrees awarded
Baltimore city, MD
966 degrees awarded
New York County, NY
698 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies by year.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Social Sciences graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Social Sciences majors is $118,290 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Postsecondary teachers.

The industry that employs the most Social Sciences majors is uninformed, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Metal ore mining.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

$118,290

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,567

4.17%

1 Year Growth

± 1.81%

The average salary for Social Sciences majors is $118,290 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Postsecondary teachers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Social Sciences majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Social Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Social Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common occupations for Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Postsecondary teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Social Sciences majors working as Economists, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Judicial law clerks.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Social Sciences majors are Surgeons, Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents, and Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

4.18M

2023 Workforce

± 49,527

2.67%

1 Year Growth

± 1.64%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.67%, from 4.07M in 2022 to 4.18M in 2023.

The largest single share of Social Sciences graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (8.01%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Social Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are uninformed, Elementary & secondary schools, and Legal services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Social Sciences majors, by average wage, are Metal ore mining, Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, and Prefabricated wood buildings & mobile homes.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

4.18M

2023 Workforce

± 49,527

2.67%

1 Year Growth

± 1.64%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.67%, from 4.07M in 2022 to 4.18M in 2023.

The industry which employs the most Social Sciences graduates by share is uninformed, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Social Sciences.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Social Sciences majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Social Sciences majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Social Sciences in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Social Sciences is 43.3.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Social Sciences degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Social Sciences (6,998 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

43.3

Average Age in 2023

± 0.159 Years

0.249%

1 Year Change

± 0.523%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Social Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 35 and 30 years old, which represent 2.89% and 2.83% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in International Relations & National Security Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Postbaccalaureate Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Social Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (56.6%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in International Relations & National Security Studies.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
6,998 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
2,059 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
2,021 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
2,422 degrees awarded
White Male
1,719 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
915 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in International Relations & National Security Studies.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course International Relations & National Security Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
51,585 degree recipients
China
43,596 degree recipients
Mexico
37,329 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Denmark
4.24 times more than expected
Belgium
4.19 times more than expected
Azerbaijan
3.7 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Denmark that hold Social Sciences degrees (4.24 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (51,585 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the International Relations & National Security Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. International Relations & National Security Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Writing. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that International Relations & National Security Studies majors need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, and Systems Evaluation.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for International Relations & National Security Studies majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operations Analysis is very distinctive for majors, but the Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.