VT - Natl Security and Foreign Affairs

[Anonymous]

I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

[Anonymous]

VT publishes a list of first employers by major
https://fds.career.vt.edu/EmployerList/?cohort=2020-2021

For that major there are a bunch with a military base so I'd assume those are Corps of Cadets students. Others include Deloitte, Booz Allen, DoD.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is currently at VT and majoring in NSFA with a minor in Russian. She absolutely loves it and they have a great program - she hopes to work within the IC or something similar after graduation. She's also looking forward to studying abroad in her junior year - VT has an incredible array of S.A. programs to choose from.

As for the NSFA major, here's a link:
https://liberalarts.vt.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/national-security-and-foreign-affairs-major.html

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute is extremely impressive: https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2021/09/research-virginia-tech-national-security-institute-launched.html

There are also related majors at VT: International Affairs, International Studies, International Public Policy, Political Science, PPE, EUropean and Transatlantic Studies, etc.

Liberal Arts at VT isn't talked about as much here on DCUM, but it is an excellent college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

The intelligence community is where many of these grads are heading. It's a very employable major.

[Anonymous]

Friend of mine got this degree and is now working for a defense contractor. But he got an MA from SAIS as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

Definitely a hot field. VT has a variety of cybersecurity-related majors and minors:
https://cyber.vt.edu/education/undergraduate-programs.html

Also, not listed here is a cybersecurity track in the Computational Modeling & Data Analytics major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

OP here,
Agree that cybersecurity is hot but, no, DS is a kid who actually has little interest in Computers or coding, he’d be more interested in the Natl security aspects of the major.

[Anonymous]

Another parent with a kid at VT majoring in NSFA. Great combo of international affairs, language, security issues, and intelligence analysis. This major is very versatile and can be paired with any number of minors (GIS, language, area studies, cybersecurity, etc.) making it extremely marketable. My kid absolutely loves it we feel so fortunate that VT is instate for us - though many of DC’s friends come from all around the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another parent with a kid at VT majoring in NSFA. Great combo of international affairs, language, security issues, and intelligence analysis. This major is very versatile and can be paired with any number of minors (GIS, language, area studies, cybersecurity, etc.) making it extremely marketable. My kid absolutely loves it we feel so fortunate that VT is instate for us - though many of DC’s friends come from all around the country.

OP again, I’m still a bit confused by the marketability unless we are talking about Bering recruited by CIA for example. I looked through the course list and it was very interesting, a lot of political science, but that usually isn’t a major right out of school that lends itself to being hired. What is your kid thinking of doing?

How does the major compare to a degree from SFS at Georgetown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

This has nothing at all to do with OP's question, which was very specifically about a certain major at VT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another parent with a kid at VT majoring in NSFA. Great combo of international affairs, language, security issues, and intelligence analysis. This major is very versatile and can be paired with any number of minors (GIS, language, area studies, cybersecurity, etc.) making it extremely marketable. My kid absolutely loves it we feel so fortunate that VT is instate for us - though many of DC’s friends come from all around the country.

OP again, I’m still a bit confused by the marketability unless we are talking about Bering recruited by CIA for example. I looked through the course list and it was very interesting, a lot of political science, but that usually isn’t a major right out of school that lends itself to being hired. What is your kid thinking of doing?

How does the major compare to a degree from SFS at Georgetown?

DP. Several links have already been provided that list just a few of the agencies/companies graduates work for. DoD, CIA, State, Homeland Security, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NSA, Accenture, banks, multi-national corporations, think tanks, graduate work, law school, etc.

An SFS degree is specifically tailored for State Dept./FSOs/diplomatic work. The NSFA degree encompasses far more intelligence/security areas.

[Anonymous]

IC analysts typically have graduate degrees. Many have foreign language ability.

State Department FS does not require any specific degree.

Civil service jobs at State are usually through the Presidential Management Fellows program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IC analysts typically have graduate degrees. Many have foreign language ability.

State Department FS does not require any specific degree.

Civil service jobs at State are usually through the Presidential Management Fellows program.

Not in my experience.

[Anonymous]

Wow. That is a cool major. I wish they had that when I was at Tech. I have just a “regular” political science degree but would have absolutely loved that specialization (I work at State, non-FSO).

The VT alumni network is strong in this area so I would have no qualms about marketability.