国际关系学（IR）是研究各个国家间外交关系的跨学科专业；如：主权国家、国际政府组织（IGO）、国际非政府组织（INGO）、非政府组织（NGO）以及跨国公司（MNC）等。除了政治学与公共关系学外，其领域还涉及工程学、经济学、历史学、国际法学、哲学、地理学、社会工作学、社会学、犯罪学、心理学、国际安全学、生态环境学、经济发展学等学科领域紧密相连。*(1)
就业展望
国际关系专业毕业生可选择的就业去向——
广播新闻分析员（Broadcast News Analysts）：$78,380
记者（Reporters and Correspondents）：$45,120
政府人员及立法者（Government Executives and Legislators）：$38,590
公共关系专员（Public Relations Specialists）：$61,980*(6)
人类学家（Anthropologist）：$60,230*(7)
典型课程列表
| 防止种族暴力 | Preventing Ethnic Violence |
| 冷战认知 | Understanding the Cold War |
| 国际惯例 | International Norms |
| 和平操作维护 | Peace-Maintenance Operations |
| 全球化与福利国家的未来 | Globalization and the Future of the Welfare State |
| 后共产主义地区安全 | Security in Post Communist Regions |
| 国际公法 | Public International Law |
| International Politics | |
| 全球变化与安全 | Global Change and Security |
| 全球化及其批判 | Globalization and Its Critics |
| 企业战略 | Business Strategy |
| 国家安全技术 | Technology in National Security |
| 政治哲学 | Political Philosophy |
| 种族和阶级政治学 | Politics of Race and Class |
| 全球环境政策与法律 | Global Environmental Policy and Law |
| 区域贸易协定经济学 | Economics of Regional Trade Agreements |
*(8)
注：课程列表为本科专业课程列表。
选校分析
建议申请者在选校时考虑以下因素，再做决定：
该专业是门跨学科学科还是政治学（经济学）的分支学科？
师生比率是多少？
课堂规模有多大？教授有多少人？
外语的具体要求？
该专业提供哪些海外机会？
该专业提供实习工作吗？*(2)
心理准备
Are You Ready To...?
Learn how spies operate in today’s world
Gain a different perspective on life by, perhaps, studying abroad
Read books by noted world leaders and diplomats
Specialize in a particular region, such as the Middle East or the Philippines
Take part in heated discussions on, for example, the effects of the Kyoto Protocol on relations between nations*(2)
学生评价
“Students should expect to write interpretive essays on examinations rather than face simple multiple-choice or true-false questions, as well as to write papers that combine solid research with independent thinking.”
Robert Mandel, Professor and Chair, International Affairs Department, Lewis and Clark College
Do you believe that societies and cultures are linked in such a way that changes made in one society affect the rest of the world? If you do, International Relations might be the major for you.*(2)
参考资料
(1) International relations Wikipedia
(2) Major: International Relations College Board
(3) Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012 27-3021 Broadcast News Analysts U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(4) Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012 27-3022 Reporters and Correspondents U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(5) Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012 11-1031 Legislators U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(6) Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012 27-3031 Public Relations Specialists U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(7) Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012 19-3091 Anthropologists and Archeologists U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(8) Major: International Relations The Princeton Review
学校列表
美国
本科
综合性大学（非完全列表）：
文理学院（非完全列表）：
| 斯克利普斯学院 | 巴克内尔大学 | 狄金森学院 |
| 斯基德莫尔学院 | 曼荷莲女子学院 | 康涅狄格学院 |
| 葛底斯堡学院 | 维斯理学院 | 波莫纳学院 |
| 卡尔顿学院 | 克莱蒙特·麦肯纳学院 | 卫斯理大学 |
| 科尔盖特大学 |
研究生
非完全列表：