Best UC for International Relations

tk21769
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:03:55 +0000

Foreign Policy magazine ranks what it considers the best university IR programs. Since 2005, three of the UCs have shown up among its top 20-25 schools (for undergraduate, master’s, or PhD programs.) Those 3 are UC Berkeley, UCSD, and UCLA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_the_Ivory_Tower
USNWR also ranks international politics programs at the graduate level. UCSD and Berkeley are among the top 15.

FWIW, according to NSF/WebCASPAR data, Berkeley, UCLA and SD generate many more alumni PhDs in political science and public policy than the others. Irvine and Riverside generate fewer. Davis, SB, and SC are in between. It’s hard to say whether these outcomes represent significant quality differences (or simply telegraph differences in admitted student interests/abilities). Any other data differences may be subject to the same problems of interpretation.

So these rankings may be suggestive, but it’s hard to say categorically which school is “best”. Even if we could, that doesn’t necessarily mean that other UCs don’t also have strong programs, or that, if you had the choice, one of them wouldn’t be equally good (or even better) for you. Rankings don’t necessarily consider the factors most important to every undergrad. Your own efforts, or your rapport with 1 or 2 faculty members, could make a much bigger difference than a ranking position.

Go to the department sites to review the course offerings and faculty biographies/CVs. This should help you understand the scope of each program and areas of strength. If possible, visit Riverside, Davis, and any others that accept you. That may help you develop a preference for one campus or department over the others. Look into internship/research opportunities. Try to get information about recent alumni outcomes (especially in areas that interest you.)