International Relations and National Security Studies at University of Mary Washington

The small sample size here is a real constraint, but the numbers that do exist are troubling: this program ranks in just the 10th percentile among Virginia's 23 international relations programs, with first-year earnings of $30,357 trailing the state median by over $14,000. That's not a minor gap—graduates from William & Mary, UVA, and JMU in this field earn roughly 50% more right out of college. Even accounting for uncertainty in the data, this program appears to struggle with early career placement compared to its Virginia peers.

The 71% earnings jump by year four suggests graduates eventually find their footing, reaching $52,021—though we can't know if this reflects typical career progression or just volatility in a small dataset. The debt load of $25,086 is manageable relative to first-year earnings, but that's cold comfort when those earnings lag so far behind competitors. Virginia has strong international relations programs given its proximity to Washington D.C., which makes this program's underperformance particularly striking.

For a field where location matters enormously—most of these jobs cluster in the D.C. metro area—this program doesn't seem to be converting its geographic advantage into competitive outcomes. Unless cost of attendance is dramatically lower than alternatives, families should carefully compare this against other Virginia options that consistently place graduates above $44,000 in year one.