What is the Department of International Relations? What Do Graduates Do?

The Department of International Relations is one of the most striking fields of recent times. This department, which dates back to Ankara University in Turkey and became more widespread in the 2000s, is now in many universities. We have answered all the questions about this department, which is accepted as a branch of political science, for you.

The Department of International Relations is a department in the “Faculties of Political Sciences” of universities. It is a discipline that focuses on the foreign policy of states, examines and manages international agreements, factories, accepted social values, rules and relations with other states. When we look at its history in the world, the Peace of Westphalie, which was accepted by many people in 1648, is shown as an example. Since this date, the establishment of the state system has gained importance and the religion-oriented management system has been left behind. The concept of International Relations, which is defined with today’s understanding, dates back to the Cold War period. The aim of the department is to raise individuals who can examine and evaluate all political, social and economic relations in the world.

The department, which provides comprehensive information about world politics and economy and aims to train students in this direction, offers a 4-year education. However, it can be said that there is an education that takes 5 years, together with the English preparatory period, which is compulsory for some departments in universities.

The courses to be taken by those who prefer this department are as follows:

● Introduction to World Politics
● Introduction to Political Science
● History of Civilizations
● Behavioral Science
● Economics
● History of Civilization
● Basic Concepts of Law
● Turkish Language
● Constitutional Law
● Ataturk’s Principles and Revolutions
● Research Techniques in International Relations
● International Relations Theories
● Foreign Policy Analysis
● Diplomatic Translation
● International Economic Policy
● Environment and Development Processes
● Energy Policies

Individuals who graduate from this department are knowledgeable about how the countries of the world manage their political, economic and cultural relations in the light of the education they receive. For this reason, we can say that graduates take a role in determining target actions by managing the political and commercial interest relations with foreign countries on behalf of the institutions they work for.

At this point, one of the most curious things is how much salary the graduates of the department receive. It is actually not possible to talk about a clear wage due to the wide working areas we have listed above and each of them having different specializations. However, if it is considered on average, it can be said that a minimum gain of 3,000 TL can be achieved. It is also known that individuals who have the opportunity to work in ministries can earn 10,000 TL or more.

It is possible to talk about 2 different difficulties for those who prefer this section. The first of these is that they are held responsible for exams. The disadvantage here is that the relevant section includes fields such as economics, finance and accounting. However, graduates of the Department of International Relations unfortunately do not take accounting and finance courses. However, we can say that the graduates of the department have an advantage because foreign language is also effective.

The second difficulty is actually knowing a foreign language, as we mentioned in the last sentence above. This is of great importance both when stipulating conditions for exams such as in processes that will be managed with external relations throughout working life. For this reason, mastery of not only English but also other widely spoken languages in the world is important at some point.

This department can be a very advantageous option for those who are interested in political history and have developed verbal intelligence. In addition, we fully believe that individuals who are good at foreign languages and love to learn languages can be successful in this department. If you say “this is me”, it will be inevitable for you to show success in the department.

Individuals who graduated from the 4-year International Relations Department of universities have many fields of work in the public and private sectors. If it is necessary to classify them, in the public sector; They can work in institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of European Union, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Economy, the Prime Ministry Undersecretariat of Treasury, the Competition Authority, the Capital Markets Board, and the Consulates. However, at this point, we would like to remind you that it is important the exam. On the other hand, in private institutions and organizations; They can find employment opportunities in places such as Export and Import Companies, NATO, Consulting Companies, Non-Governmental Organizations, United Nations, Economic and Development Cooperation Organization, UNICEF, Political Consulting Companies. In addition, it is possible to choose an academic career with a master’s and doctorate.

If you want to choose a profession by considering the opportunities abroad, this department may be exactly what you are looking for. Since learning or knowing more than one language is important for this profession, we can say that you can easily find a job in all companies with foreign connections.

Since the graduates of the Department of International Relations are educated in the field of political science, there are many areas in which they can specialize. These can be listed as fields such as political history, international law, international economics, philosophy, sociology and psychology. In addition, they specialize in areas such as nuclear development, terrorism, organized crime and human rights.

The increase in globalization in today’s world and the rapid change of social, economic, cultural and political developments day by day increase the need for this department. The concept of international politics and nation-state, which has been reshaped with globalization, makes international relations even more important. On the other hand, the fact that the graduates of the department have many fields in which they can work in private and public sectors strengthens the evaluation of International Relations among the departments with the future.

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