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Evanston, IL · International relations

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.

Graduates a year311% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$74,0001.09× the same major nationally
Research in the field$2Ma year, NSF
Admit rate7%whole school
SAT middle 50%1520–1560whole school

Around Northwestern

A photo of the interior of Dearborn Observatory. The dome is open, the red light
Dearborn Telescope with open domePhoto: Jackricono · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Shakespeare Garden in Evanston (1915). It was established by the Garden Club
Shakespeare Garden (8105928197)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Aggelos KatsaggelosPhoto: Leandros89 · CC0 · source
This represents what PDMS looks like.
FabricwithinPDMSPhoto: Ih2283 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

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.

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Nearby in the international relations ranking

  1. George Washington University 88
  2. Northeastern University 87
  3. American University 87
  4. Emory University 87
  5. Pomona College 85
  6. Tulane University of Louisiana 85
  7. Loyola Marymount University 85
  8. Fordham University 84

Other strong majors at Northwestern

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.

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