International Relations & National Security Studies

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

13,958

declining 2.43%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,711

growing 4.25%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$42,610

growing 3%

Average Wage

$113,579

growing 8.24%

People in Workforce

4.07M

growing 2.44%

Average Employee Age

43.1

declining 0.0408%

About

In 2022, the locations with the highest concentration of International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients are Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and New York, NY. In 2022, the locations with a relatively high number of International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients are Monterey, CA, Medford, MA, and Washington, DC. 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. George Washington University awards the most degrees in International Relations & National Security Studies in the US, but Institute of World Politics and Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey 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, $8,711 for in-state public colleges, and $42,610 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 (271 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (8,347 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in International Relations & National Security Studies (2022)

George Washington University
852 degrees awarded
Johns Hopkins University
760 degrees awarded
American University
749 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 (8,347 completions in 2022).

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

$8,711

Median In-State Public

$42,610

Median Out of State Private

George Washington University has the most International Relations & National Security Studies degree recipients, with 852 degrees awarded in 2022.

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

Institute of World Politics
100%
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
17.4%
American University
16.7%

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
2,205 degrees awarded
Baltimore city, MD
780 degrees awarded
Middlesex County, MA
617 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.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

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

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 $113,579 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

The industry that employs the most Social Sciences majors is Legal services, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Not specified food industries, manufacturing.

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.

$113,579

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,532

8.24%

1 Year Growth

± 1.77%

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 Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Elementary & middle school 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, Miscellaneous social scientists, including survey researchers & sociologists, and Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.

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, Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists, and Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents.

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.

4.07M

2022 Workforce

± 48,866

2.44%

1 Year Growth

± 1.67%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.44%, from 3.97M in 2021 to 4.07M in 2022.

The largest single share of Social Sciences graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (8.07%). 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 Legal services, Elementary & secondary schools, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

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 Not specified food industries, manufacturing, Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

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.

4.07M

2022 Workforce

± 48,866

2.44%

1 Year Growth

± 1.67%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.44%, from 3.97M in 2021 to 4.07M in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Social Sciences graduates by share is Legal services, 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 43.1.

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 (7,075 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.

43.1

Average Age in 2022

± 0.161 Years

0.0408%

1 Year Change

± 0.532%

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 2.93% and 2.87% 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 (57.7%)

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
7,075 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
2,063 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
1,787 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
2,621 degrees awarded
White Male
1,778 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
984 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
49,969 degree recipients
China
42,496 degree recipients
Mexico
34,861 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Azerbaijan
4.07 times more than expected
Belgium
4.05 times more than expected
Kyrgyzstan
3.8 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Azerbaijan that hold Social Sciences degrees (4.07 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 (49,969 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 Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that International Relations & National Security Studies majors need more than the average amount of Science, Operations Analysis, and Active Learning.

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 Science is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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