Is a International Relations and National Security Studies degree worth it?
Across 113 schools, graduates of International Relations and National Security Studies earn a median $65,402 five years out on $20,500 of debt — most often working as Managers, All Other. Every figure is a real, published federal number.
Median 5-yr pay
$65,402
Median debt
$20,500
Years to pay off
3.2
at 10% of pay
AI task exposure
49%
GPT-4-era overlap
10-yr job growth
+4.4%
BLS 2024–2034
Gender pay gap
6.8%
$68,393 vs $63,740
Net price
$22,316/yr
Debt-test failures
0%
of programs
'Real' premium
−$2,994
vs avg, adjusted
See where this degree leads, who's hiring, and whether the pay covers the rent.
Explore International Relations and National Security Studies in full →Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, O*NET, AI-exposure measures (Eloundou/AIOE), Zillow. Earnings reflect federally-aided graduates; see the full story for methodology and limitations.