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What Can You Do With an International Relations Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: An international relations degree is not a credential for one job. Graduates cluster in analysis, compliance, program management, and communications. The occupation that matches the discipline exactly, political scientists, pays a median of $142,080 but employed only 6,500 people in 2024 and is projected to shrink (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The occupations that actually hire in volume are management analysts at $101,860 a year, compliance officers at $80,730 a year, and social and community service managers at $80,390 a year. Read this list for openings as well as for pay.
International relations trains you to explain and predict what states, firms, and international organizations do, and to write that explanation for someone who has to act on it. Almost no employer posts a job called “international relations.” What they post are analyst, compliance, program officer, researcher, and communications roles that happen to reward exactly that training, usually alongside a language, a region, and some tolerance for data.
Jobs you can get with an international relations degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Public relations manager | $146,910 |
| Political scientist | $142,080 |
| Economist | $124,720 |
| Management analyst | $101,860 |
| Compliance officer | $80,730 |
| Social and community service manager | $80,390 |
| Survey researcher | $69,460 |
| Interpreter and translator | $60,170 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Management Analysts | 98,100/yr |
| Compliance Officers | 33,300/yr |
| Social and Community Service Managers | 18,600/yr |
| Interpreters and Translators | 6,900/yr |
| Public Relations Managers | 6,600/yr |
| Economists | 900/yr |
| Survey Researchers | 700/yr |
| Political Scientists | 500/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. These are occupation-wide figures covering all entrants, not starting wages for recent international relations graduates.
Political scientist. This is the occupation the discipline names, and it is the narrowest door on the list. The national median annual wage was $142,080 with the 10th percentile at $83,350 and the 90th at $195,190 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 6,500 in 2024, projected to decline 3.1 percent through 2034, with about 500 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Most of these positions sit in the federal government, federally funded research centers, think tanks, and universities, and most competitive candidates hold a doctorate or a long record of published analysis. Treat the high median as information about who already holds these jobs, not as a starting salary.
Management analyst. The largest realistic destination for international relations graduates who go into the private sector. Analysts study how an organization operates and recommend changes, which in practice includes market entry studies, political and regulatory risk assessments, and operational reviews for firms working across borders. The national median annual wage was $101,860 with the 10th percentile at $60,640 and the 90th at $171,640 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 1,075,100 in 2024 with 8.8 percent projected growth and about 98,100 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Consulting firms hire on structured problem solving and writing, so the methods sequence and a clean analytic writing sample matter more here than the regional seminars.
Compliance officer. The steadiest employment lane connected to this degree, and the one prospective students most often overlook. Compliance officers evaluate conformity with laws and regulations, which at internationally active firms and banks means export controls, sanctions screening, anti-money-laundering review, customs classification, and foreign corrupt practices work. The national median annual wage was $80,730 with the 10th percentile at $48,220 and the 90th at $133,720 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 418,000 in 2024 with 3.0 percent projected growth and roughly 33,300 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Coursework in international law and international political economy maps directly onto this work.
Social and community service manager. This occupation covers much of the program management work at nonprofits, foundations, and international development and humanitarian organizations. The national median annual wage was $80,390 with the 10th percentile at $53,150 and the 90th at $132,260 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 219,800 in 2024 with 6.4 percent projected growth and about 18,600 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Hiring in the international half of this sector weighs field experience, a language, and monitoring and evaluation skills heavily, and it usually expects a master’s for roles with budget authority.
Public relations manager. Communications and public affairs work for multinational firms, embassies, trade associations, and international nonprofits sits here. The national median annual wage was $146,910 with the 10th percentile at $82,410 and the 90th at $284,990 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 83,200 in 2024 with 5.0 percent projected growth and about 6,600 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is a manager-level occupation, so the median describes people well into a career, not graduates. The entry route is a communications or press role, and a second language is a genuine advantage.
Economist. Trade, development, and sanctions analysis at agencies, banks, and international financial institutions. The national median annual wage was $124,720 with the 10th percentile at $67,360 and the 90th at $238,060 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 17,600 in 2024 with 1.2 percent projected growth and about 900 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The honest caveat: this occupation hires economists. If the work appeals, take the math and study economics rather than expecting an international relations transcript to substitute.
Survey researcher. Public opinion and field research, including cross-national survey work at research organizations and polling firms. The national median annual wage was $69,460 with the 10th percentile at $39,260 and the 90th at $130,860 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 8,800 in 2024, projected to decline 5.2 percent through 2034, with about 700 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). It is a small and contracting occupation, and it requires real statistical training.
Interpreter and translator. Language work for courts, agencies, hospitals, conferences, and firms. The national median annual wage was $60,170 with the 10th percentile at $37,070 and the 90th at $103,660 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 75,300 in 2024 with 1.7 percent projected growth and about 6,900 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The hiring gate is demonstrated language proficiency and, for court and medical work, certification – not the international relations degree. Much of the work is contract-based.
What the degree level changes
Nothing in this field is licensed, so the question is not which credential unlocks which title. It is which credential gets read.
The online bachelor’s in international relations is a general analytic degree. It supports entry-level analyst, compliance, coordinator, and communications roles, and it is a reasonable pre-law or pre-graduate transcript. It does not open international organization hiring on its own.
The online master’s in international relations is the professional entry credential for the international affairs sector itself. It is what think tanks, multilateral organizations, and development implementers screen for, usually alongside a language and field or internship experience.
Neither degree is a route into the U.S. Foreign Service, which selects through its own examination and assessment process and sets no major requirement at all. See how to become a diplomat.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with an international relations degree?
Common destinations are management analyst and consultant roles, compliance and trade roles, program officer and program manager roles at nonprofits and development organizations, communications and public affairs roles, research and policy analyst roles, and government positions requiring a security clearance. Political scientist is the closest occupational match and the hardest to enter.
How much do international relations majors make?
Wages depend on which occupation you enter rather than on the major. BLS May 2025 national medians run from $60,170 for interpreters and translators and $69,460 for survey researchers up to $101,860 for management analysts and $142,080 for political scientists and $146,910 for public relations managers (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The manager-level figures describe experienced workers, not graduates.
Which of these careers has the most openings?
Management analysts, by a wide margin: roughly 98,100 openings a year, against about 33,300 for compliance officers and 18,600 for social and community service managers (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Political scientists have about 500. The highest median on this page is attached to one of the smallest occupations.
Do I need a security clearance?
For many federal analytic and intelligence positions, yes. A clearance requires U.S. citizenship and a background investigation conducted after an agency sponsors you, so it is something an employer initiates, not something you obtain in advance. Plan for a long timeline if federal work is the goal.
Is an international relations degree worth it?
It is worth it if you pair it with a language, a region, and a hard skill such as statistics, economics, or compliance knowledge, and if you are realistic that the sector’s professional entry point is usually a master’s. It is a weak choice if you expect the major alone to produce an international job. The is an international relations degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the international relations program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a diplomat, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: political science, public policy, international business, homeland security, and economics.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.