What is a major in International Relations like?
What it's like depends on the school you go to (each university/department sets its own curriculum for the degree). I was an IR major in college and studied IR in graduate school as well. In my experience, the major is inter-disciplinary. You will be taking courses in political science, economics, statistics, history, foreign language, etc. -- and possibly doing some study abroad. It tends to be more of a social science major than a humanities major, but check each school's degree requirements. Best schools in this major include Columbia, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, U of Michigan Ann-Arbor, Dartmouth, Yale, U of Chicago, etc. The graduate school rankings by US News and World Report tends to be fairly accurate in reflecting how strong the undergraduate program is: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandre... -- but also, FP has a nice list of top undergraduate programs in this major: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/20... Keep in mind: If there is a particular geographical region you would like to specialize in, look closely at the university to make sure that it offers excellent courses regarding that region (in political science, history, language, etc.). As for job options -- at the bachelor level, you are qualified to go into general entry-level work that requires your skills. Some types of jobs people in my major got include those in consulting, investment banking (for those with strong econ/business training), research assistantships, and working for an international business, nonprofit, or education entities. For foreign service and other diplomacy-oriented work, going to grad school would probably be very helpful. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Careers in International Relations?
Global politics and business require trained professionals in international relations. People interested in career opportunities in the IR field have the option of starting in volunteer positions to gain the required education and training, or they may elect to earn a college degree in the field and then enter the workforce in a higher-ranking position. Foreign Service The U.S. Foreign Service employs people in the United States and abroad as clerical staff, research liasons and as diplomats. An extensive testing and interview process is required for all jobs and fluency in at least one language other than English is mandatory. Volunteer Work The U.S. Peace Corps, established in 1960, has seen 195,000 volunteers since that time deployed throughout the world. The contracts usually include a commitment for four to six years of service. The work is classified as voluntary, but a subsistence allowance is paid based on the country of residence. International Non-Profit Organizations International relations specialists work in non-profit organizations such as the United Nations, Oxfam and the World Health Organization (WHO). Employment opportunities run the gamut from entry level clerical positions to professional work as medical professionals, researchers and statistician. Pay is based on education and experience. University Teaching Teaching foreign relations at a college or university is another career option for IR specialists. The majority of professors at highly respected IR undergraduate and graduate schools have many years of service, in addition to degrees in higher education. Law As the business world becomes more interdependent, the legal field offers another opportunity to work in international relations. Professionals must hold both an MBA and JD degrees and have proficiencies in several foreign languages to work to at high-powered international law firms.
I am currently majoring in international relations from Pakistan. How do I get an internship or an entry level job at the UN?
You need experience and an area of specialization. What can you actually do? What have you done related to the work of any UN agency? (HIV education? procurement for a project in a high-poverty area? worked to help create a farmer's co-op? volunteered with a micro-lending program?)Also see: How to Pursue a Career with the United Nations or Other International Humanitarian Organizations
Is a career in international relations worth the trouble?
it's very rewarding if you can land on the right job. but how to get it? most people I know don't work on international relations jobs. they are mostly working as a researcher, project officer, public relations, strategic communications, if you are lucky you can land on consulting firms such as BCG if you can pass the hard test (if you only have a minor paper in economics, don't hope too much, I failed btw)the problem of international relations jobs, they are quite niche, and the number of jobs available are scarce. want to work at IMF? WTO? ADB? World Bank? international relations is not the degree you want to take. they mostly need economics graduates, people with strong quantitative analysis, which is clearly not us.the political related jobs at United nations? you will be lucky if you can be shortlisted for YPP: the job vacancy states that it's open for fresh graduates. I have 4.5 years job experience and still not shortlisted. you will wonder what's wrong with you. you will be lucky too if you can find entry level jobs at UN. most of the jobs are for senior positions. thus there goes the classics egg or chicken. most of the IR graduates are unemployed outside the IR jobs because the entry barrier is very high.if I had known all of this I would have studied economics. International relations is relatively easy since you only need to know history of the world and the right theory. if you are studying IR and wishing you want to work at these international organisations. you better be ready to compete with the economists. they are most likely to get the job at WTO, IMF, etc.
What kind of jobs can I land in if I have a degree in international relations at a university in Dubai?
I can only speak from the UK perspective. If you speak arabic then you have a good chance in the political risk field as an analyst. I found that having degrees in IR or related fields are all well and good but it is far more useful to speak a language that’s in demand - Arabic, mandarin, Russian, maybe Portuguese or Bahasa Indonesian. Even entry level jobs want a few years of experience so internships and the like are needed, although these are rare, seldom advertised and often require you to work for free while living in the expensive capital (hello, London). The vast majority of jobs in the private sector are not advertised as they are just given to people already known to the company, like former interns. Those that are advertised are normally already filled but are being advertised to give a sense of fairness.In the public sector there are many ministries where an IR degree will tick a box for you but by itself will not get you a job. Foreign, defence, development, intelligence and some law enforcement ministries/departments should all be on your list. Again though, experience and demonstrable enthusiasm are needed.I am speaking from my experience in Britain and I don’t speak Arabic. Other countries could be completely different. I will say that of all the IR graduates I know virtually non of them work in a related field and many have master’s degrees but no job or prospects. The few I do know who work for political risk companies or similar are all foreign, I assume because they come with innate language skills that are of use and, believe it or not in this day and age, are not from the state-educated lower class, which is still a factor in getting hired in this country.Language skills and networking will get you what you want.I recommend you read this article (from a US writer)To the graduate who wants to work in international affairs — The Development Set
Can I get a good paying job if I studied International Relations?
There are only two 'good' career paths in the present economy: Medicine and Programming. Medicine requires intelligence, reading comprehension, discipline, stamina, and exceptional memory skills. (It is not really mathematically rigorous. And is the last high paying occupation that we can say that of.)Programming (at least most of it) requires fairly good reasoning and concentration skills. Pay is immediate but tops out before you exit your twenties and you 'age' quickly in the discipline.Both fields present good opportunities for college graduates.If you want a good paying job with international scope then study quantitative macro economics. Unfortunately, economics requires the most mathematical skill and is one of the most challenging disciplines outside of physics or math - even if it tends to pay better. If you can't manage economics then it's useful to study international finance.If you can't manage finance then marketing research analyst requires basic statistical skills and is an interesting job.A legal degree used to be passport but the market is oversaturated and it is becoming an ordinary job.Unlike finance, accounting is too tedious for someone with social and international interests, and is the modern entry level discipline for administrative labor."International Relations" is a code word for 'Administrative support' or 'I will sell telephones soon'. The world has become extremely hostile to administrative and communications positions that have no quantitative and or statistical components to them.If you are a female who speaks multiple languages and wants to find a mate outside of her family and social circle it is an expensive but useful way to find one. Otherwise no, it is only a meaningful set of culture studies to prepare one for work in finance, law, tax, shipping, or marketing and without statistical capability in one of those fields it will not be a 'good' job unless you're counting on 'luck' to save you. :)
Jobs for political science major and international relations minor?
do a whole lot of volunteer workm which does count as work expirience but without pay. Search for jobs on Jobbank.com That is a website for only government jobs