International Relations and National Security Studies at University of the Pacific

In California's international relations field, the distance between programs is stark—Stanford graduates earn double what peer programs suggest for University of the Pacific, with USC and USD also pulling significantly ahead. The estimated $36,700 first-year salary places Pacific right at the state median, meaning half of similar programs do worse, but the top performers demonstrate there's considerably more earning potential in this field for those who reach it.

The estimated $20,800 in debt creates a manageable 0.57 debt-to-earnings ratio, slightly better than the national benchmark. With an acceptance rate near open enrollment, Pacific offers accessibility that elite competitors don't. However, this means you're betting on your student's ability to compete for the same entry-level positions as graduates from schools with vastly different selectivity profiles. International relations often rewards prestige and networks in ways that other fields don't—embassy jobs, think tanks, and international organizations frequently recruit from name-brand schools.

The practical question: can your student leverage Pacific's resources to build the resume—internships, language skills, graduate school preparation—that compensates for the degree's mid-tier positioning? The debt load won't crush them, but the earnings suggest they'll need additional credentials or exceptional initiative to reach the field's higher pay bands.