International relations at Northwestern
Northwestern graduates about 31 international relations majors a year, 1% of its graduating class. That puts it 19th of 269 schools we score for international relations, a standout program at 86 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $74,000 four years out, 1.09× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $2 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.
Around Northwestern
Where international relations happens
Buildings on campus that fit the field: West Fairchild (International Studies Residential College), Kellogg Global Hub.
Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 96 · Dorm 44 · Fraternity or sorority house 13 · Arts 8 · Chapel 5 · Athletics 3.
Nearby in the international relations ranking
Other strong majors at Northwestern
- Theater & drama 100 · #1
- Public policy & social work 97 · #5
- Music 97 · #3
- Economics 96 · #12
- Engineering (all) 96 · #8
- Communications & media 96 · #2
How the score works
The score is out of 100 and compares Northwestern with every school we score in international relations. It weighs what graduates earn four years out against the same major nationally (25%), research spending in the field (20%, NSF), how many undergraduate courses the department lists (20%), the student body's test scores (20%) and the size of the program (15%, capped so size alone can't win). 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.



