Georgetown vs JHU ,major in IR?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:both great schools for IR. will get a great education at both.

now cue the fighting about Georgetown's rats and mold vs Baltimore's crime and JHU being (gasp!) 50%+ Asian.

Agree. For undergrad, pick out of these by vibe, fit, location, size. Grad degree matters more.
Not really.

SFS at Georgetown is like BME at JHU. IR at JHU is like BME at Georgetown.
It's crazy to put these two for comparison.

No, Georgetown is top for IR (helped by being closer to DC) but JHU is also in or near the top ten. They are closer peers in IR than they will ever be for BME, which Georgetown doesn't even have a notable dept of.

I don't know if you are serious or a troll. Georgetown is mecca of IR.

Saying they are close peers just because JHU rank near the top ten by a magazine?

Then I guess MIT and UDub are peers.

Georgetown invented the IR program. It was the foreign service school. SFS has always been known as “the Harvard” for foreign service.

Georgetown University ranked first in the world for its international relations master’s and undergraduate programs, according to 2024 rankings released by Foreign Policy magazine.The university also scored highly for Ph.D. programs focused on a policy career, coming in second.

The rankings are based on a broad survey of 1,500 foreign policy professionals administered by William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, including three distinct groups – international relations faculty, policymakers and think tank staff.

It is recognized as one of the top schools for international affairs globally. It is frequently ranked #1 for international relations master’s programs and in the top three for undergraduate programs by policymakers and faculty and it’s crazy this forum is clueless or purposely being obtuse.

Georgetown University is a top producer of U.S. diplomats and politicians, with 28 alumni and faculty serving in the 119th Congress (2025–2027). Known for its strong international relations program, it has educated at least 92 U.S. ambassadors and consistently ranks among the highest in producing congressional members, staffers, and chiefs of staff.

It’s where future leaders around the word come for education—royalty, presidents, etc.

I don’t disagree that Georgetown is better on this front but the gap between the two is more of a crack in the sidewalk than the Grand Canyon. Especially for undergrad, which really is not that important in this space.

In IR, your master's degree will be more important. But generally, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, GW, Harvard, and Princeton are all very strong. I don't think there's much of an educational or opportunity difference whether a student goes to SFS or SAIS. Choose based on all the other reasons one chooses a college - vibe, fit, location. The peer groups in these two programs will be similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both great -- kid should pick based on vibe.

That said, as an SFS grad, people immediately understand why I wanted to go to Georgetown and that Georgetown is a standout in my field.

For IR at Johns Hopkins, they have great scholars and I'm sure kids could learn as much (minus the DC internship possibilities). However, I'd guess there might be a sense of 'did you fail out of premed/ BME'? Lay people don't associate JHU with IR.

there is not this sense at all. this is dribble

[Anonymous]

JHU is so much better school overall. And IR is particularly strong there. Georgetown is fading. Just walk its campus and it will be obvious.

[Anonymous]

https://x.com/kathleenbushjo2/status/2045834210888339939?s=46

id pick jhu and double major in something more employable than just international studies vs sfs

[Anonymous]

My kid loves there is a joint BS in Business and Global affairs you can do with both the McDonough School of Business and the SFS Walsh school.

My other kid isn’t strictly interested in foreign service so is enrolling in CAS and doing an interdisciplinary degree because also politics/history.

[Anonymous]

Can't go wrong, whichever kid prefers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was an IR major at Hopkins as an undergrad, went to a T5 law school afterwards. Classmates that were specifically interested in policy /government often opted for the 5 year ba/ma. Georgetown is higher ranked in IR, but Hopkins is also ranked in T10 and in some surveys in T5, and is ranked higher overall so I think that’s a wash. Hopkins also has a larger endowment and nicer facilities. Happy to answer other questions, have returned to Baltimore and know some current undergrads.

a little off topic. Having gone to a T5 law school, do you think it mattered that you went to Hopkins? Would you choose the same path if the undergrad was full pay vs a public university at 20% the expense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an IR major at Hopkins as an undergrad, went to a T5 law school afterwards. Classmates that were specifically interested in policy /government often opted for the 5 year ba/ma. Georgetown is higher ranked in IR, but Hopkins is also ranked in T10 and in some surveys in T5, and is ranked higher overall so I think that’s a wash. Hopkins also has a larger endowment and nicer facilities. Happy to answer other questions, have returned to Baltimore and know some current undergrads.

a little off topic. Having gone to a T5 law school, do you think it mattered that you went to Hopkins? Would you choose the same path if the undergrad was full pay vs a public university at 20% the expense?

Yes, I would. The top law schools, especially the top private law schools, still favor the top colleges in admissions, all things being equal. That said, Michigan, UVA, Berkeley and UCLA would be considered top colleges and each has an excellent law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an IR major at Hopkins as an undergrad, went to a T5 law school afterwards. Classmates that were specifically interested in policy /government often opted for the 5 year ba/ma. Georgetown is higher ranked in IR, but Hopkins is also ranked in T10 and in some surveys in T5, and is ranked higher overall so I think that’s a wash. Hopkins also has a larger endowment and nicer facilities. Happy to answer other questions, have returned to Baltimore and know some current undergrads.

a little off topic. Having gone to a T5 law school, do you think it mattered that you went to Hopkins? Would you choose the same path if the undergrad was full pay vs a public university at 20% the expense?

Yes, I would. The top law schools, especially the top private law schools, still favor the top colleges in admissions, all things being equal. That said, Michigan, UVA, Berkeley and UCLA would be considered top colleges and each has an excellent law school.

thanks for your response.

[Anonymous]

Is Georgetown fading? DC was admitted to SFS. Still trying to decide. What makes you think the school is declining?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Georgetown fading? DC was admitted to SFS. Still trying to decide. What makes you think the school is declining?

Elephant in the room= incoming Prez is NOT a white dude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:both great schools for IR. will get a great education at both.

now cue the fighting about Georgetown's rats and mold vs Baltimore's crime and JHU being (gasp!) 50%+ Asian.

Not really.

SFS at Georgetown is like BME at JHU. IR at JHU is like BME at Georgetown.
It's crazy to put these two for comparison.

No, Georgetown is top for IR (helped by being closer to DC) but JHU is also in or near the top ten. They are closer peers in IR than they will ever be for BME, which Georgetown doesn't even have a notable dept of.

I don't know if you are serious or a troll. Georgetown is mecca of IR.

Saying they are close peers just because JHU rank near the top ten by a magazine?

Then I guess MIT and UDub are peers.

Georgetown invented the IR program. It was the foreign service school. SFS has always been known as “the Harvard” for foreign service.

Georgetown University ranked first in the world for its international relations master’s and undergraduate programs, according to 2024 rankings released by Foreign Policy magazine.The university also scored highly for Ph.D. programs focused on a policy career, coming in second.

The rankings are based on a broad survey of 1,500 foreign policy professionals administered by William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, including three distinct groups – international relations faculty, policymakers and think tank staff.

It is recognized as one of the top schools for international affairs globally. It is frequently ranked #1 for international relations master’s programs and in the top three for undergraduate programs by policymakers and faculty and it’s crazy this forum is clueless or purposely being obtuse.

Georgetown University is a top producer of U.S. diplomats and politicians, with 28 alumni and faculty serving in the 119th Congress (2025–2027). Known for its strong international relations program, it has educated at least 92 U.S. ambassadors and consistently ranks among the highest in producing congressional members, staffers, and chiefs of staff.

It’s where future leaders around the word come for education—royalty, presidents, etc.

I don’t disagree that Georgetown is better on this front but the gap between the two is more of a crack in the sidewalk than the Grand Canyon. Especially for undergrad, which really is not that important in this space.

In IR, your master's degree will be more important. But generally, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, GW, Harvard, and Princeton are all very strong. I don't think there's much of an educational or opportunity difference whether a student goes to SFS or SAIS. Choose based on all the other reasons one chooses a college - vibe, fit, location. The peer groups in these two programs will be similar.

How does AU SIS compare to the other DC area IR related schools? You listed GU SFS, GW Elliot and JHU SAIS above but not AU SIS.