trojanman10101

So you are telling me it would be wise to major in IR rather than poli sci, right?

trojanman10101

So you are set on IR. Does IR have any emphasizes, like poli sci does?

Coolbrezze

Yeah I think I'm mainly set on international relations, rather than political science. By emphasis if you mean specializations, then yes there are... but you will still be learning the right international relations for the graduate programs. I question political science in some ways since it seems like many jobs of political science line/ math international relations. Though if you want to work/ socialize international than international relations is more than likely the right field. I think having a minor could be something to think about, but I'm not completely sure.

Like you, I also want to make sure I'm on the right track... but as I read articles and review others it seems like thats the right major.

trojanman10101

Ok well what other majors that are related to IR, such as public policy?

Coolbrezze

Well actually I think public policy is a specialization of international relations....
Look at bottom right hand corner of this page:James Madison College @ Michigan State University - International Relations
It show the specializations offered in international relations. I haven't got the chance to completely look at what other specializations are offered by other undergraduate programs.

With program above, I have interest in the following specializations:
International development
Peace and Justice
Political Economy
Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy

Coolbrezze

As you get into the graduate program I guess you will go more in depth.
(What are you considering as for major, specialization, minor etc... so far?)

trojanman10101

You know what Coolbreeze I am confused, and now I have to go figure out all the different majors I am interested in. Well I will post tomorrow because I am going to do research tonight on all the different majors and what I am interested in. Thanks for confusing the h*** out of me Coolbreeze, jk. ; )

Coolbrezze

That would be a good ideal, since I also plan to have as it seems the same major... sharing the info you find would be great.

trojanman10101

Alright I will post tonight, and you do the same.

applicannot

I'm actually a rising junior. I won't go into college declared, but IR has been my focus for a couple of years. I'm from Maryland. My emphasis will probably be Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a double major in Arabic/Middle Eastern studies. However, I have no idea and I'm not closing any doors just yet. I'm interested in many of the social sciences, including Urban Studies, IR, Poli-Sci, and (Human) Geography.

If you want a job with a $100,000 salary, your best bet is not to choose a social science. It's not a huge money making field like others. Also remember that some jobs that start high don't necessarily end high; there's a lot of room for salary growth in some fields whereas there is much less growth in others. If you don't want to consider working in the public sector, your best bet is not to choose a social science. There are plenty of social science options out there that are high paying (usually after a number of years) and that aren't with the government, but that's the general job outlook.

Some people just want to make money. Others want to major in something interesting and go from there. I, for one, would rather do something I want to do. Don't let anyone tell you $60,000 is not a good income. That's a middle class income for TWO people, let alone one person. But, like I said, if you want to make a ton of money but aren't interested in medicine or engineering, major in something you don't like. It seems like a lot of CC students are just as hung up on getting a high-paying job as they are on getting into the Ivy league. Life isn't about going to be the best college or getting the most money. You're going to be working at least 40 hours per week for the next fifty years or so. You only live once. You mightaswell enjoy it.

kb10

If you can get into HYP, you can major in almost anything and be in a position for a decent job. If not, in most instances, the most lucrative degree is engineering, almost anyone with an engineering degree can get a 55k starting job.

people say liberal arts people start low and then outearn engineers, but that's not true on average. Let's say the average engineer starts at 55k at age 22. Let's say a modest 3.5% raise per year, compounded over 20 years, that's over 100k. I know there's inflation, but an average liberal arts major does not out earn the average engineer.

Coolbrezze

I actually would like a job that earn 100,000+ and have found many jobs in the social science field ( even international relations alone) to have jobs that offer that amount plus more. It seems like a lot of peoples ideal of international relations major is difficulty with the earning of 100,000+ within a few years... which can be ones case if they don't attend a graduate school. I like the jobs of inerternational relations and know the payment is well, though I will look more into the jobs salaries since that is also important.

Would anyone know a website I can use to view salaries in this field? I just want to get an ideal where others are getting information from.

Coolbrezze

trojanman10101 I see why you considered finances etc... I'm thinking maybe I should double major after reading more into things. I'll just wait and see what you've found.

applicannot

Well, engineers usually go through raises whereas many social scientists work for the government. The government has a clear pay plan that has grades and steps. You can advance as many as two steps per year. If you're good at what you do, you advance through all the steps in a period of ten years, ON TOP OF getting yearly cost of living raises. So let's say you're starting at 60,000. You advance a step mid year and advance a step at the end of the year, which is normal. On top of that, you get a 3.5% living wage increase. You could increase your salary by $8,000 or $10,000 in a single year, for multiple years in a row.

gbesq

Actually, a surprising number of individuals working in some of the most financially rewarding fields (law, finance, medicine, etc.) majored in English at the undergraduate level -- don't underestimate the importance in life of having good oral and written communication skills.