Why major in International Relations?
Why major in IR?
There are two reasons to major in international relations. One is to have an enriching intellectual life. The second is to avoid unemployment. What is distinctive about our discipline is that engagement with the whole world becomes second nature. Students are immersed in the leading ideas about how large parts of the world do, could, and should relate to each other.
Upon completing a major in international relations, students have four broad avenues open to them. These are business, government, non-profits, and further study. In business, our majors can offer a different set of analytical skills from most business majors. One type of business that needs the kind of skills that we teach, and where a number of our students have gone, is banks and investment houses. These companies are affected by international relations daily. In government, our students have gone into the State Department, the intelligence community, law enforcement agencies, and other departments. We have alumni in foreign governments as well. Our students have joined non-profit organizations in the Bay Area, on the East Coast, and elsewhere. A number of our students have continued into graduate programs, law school, business school, and other courses of study.
