Politics and International Relations Major in Pennsylvania
Explore global issues with the Politics and International Relations program, designed for students passionate about leadership and change. This Christian, faith-based program opens doors to careers in diplomacy, law, public policy and international advocacy, all while nurturing ethical decision-making.
100%
of first-year
students receive financial aid
students receive financial aid
98%
of the class of 2025 were
employed or in a graduate program
within 6 - 9 months after graduation
employed or in a graduate program
within 6 - 9 months after graduation
12:1
student to faculty ratio
Study Politics and International Relations at a Christian University
As a politics and international relations major at Messiah University, a top-ranked Pennsylvania Christian university, you’ll immerse yourself among students and faculty who are energized by some of the same things that energize you: political campaigns, elections, diplomacy, international affairs, public health, immigration, the environment and race relations.
The politics and international relations major offers a strong academic program that will make you competitive in the job or grad school market. While you might typically think of political science as preparation for a career in public office, we see it as discipline that thoroughly prepares you to enter a wide variety of fields including government, business, education, communication, law and many others. Students in this program must choose one of our two offered concentrations to accompany the major.
Students in the Politics and International Relations program at Messiah University can choose from the following concentrations:
American Politics
International Relations
As a politics and international relations major or minor at Messiah University, you'll be able to:
- Land an exciting internship in nearby Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania, with a national organization, or even internationally in the United Kingdom as an intern in a Parliament member’s office!
- Choose to study in one of 40 countries through our nationally ranked study abroad program.
- Join a variety of student clubs and organizations such as the Student Government Association, Politics Club, Messiah University Democrats, Messiah University Conservatives and Human Rights Awareness.
- Pair this program with another major, such as a B.A. in Business Administration
- Have an opportunity to be a research assistant to or even co-author published works with department faculty.
- Study in a program with an ideologically diverse student population where faculty promote the exchange of ideas in a spirit of humility and graciousness.
- Enjoy thought-provoking courses like Public Policy, Parties and Elections, U.S.-Latin American Relations, Chinese Politics and Russian Politics.
- Learn skills such as data analysis, programming and project management to work with partner organizations in government, non-profit work and beyond.
- Write for our politics blog to showcase professional, academic writing and maturity of thought.
- Steamline your undergraduate and advanced degrees through our partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to earn an M.S. in Public Policy and Management in just five years.
As a graduate of Messiah University’s politics degree program, you will be equipped to secure jobs such as:
- Policy advisor
- Activist
- Public affairs officer
- Government relations specialist
- Campaign manager
- Lobbyist
- State or federal legislator
For more information on career planning for the politics program, visit the Messiah University Career and Professional Development Center.
Messiah University’s nationally recognized internship program places students in a variety of politics internships. A few politics internship examples include:
- Legal firms
- London internship program
- Public defender's office
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Economic development agencies
- Lobbying associations
- State legislators' offices
- Offices of U.S. legislators
- Canadian Embassy
- Parliament
Politics: the right fit for you?
So if you believe, as we do, that politics is part of God’s provision for creation, and a means of developing an abiding concern for public life in the interest of social justice, and you have an openness to opposing points of view and a commitment to the common good of all peoples, then we encourage you to consider joining the politics degree program at Messiah University.
Programs related to Politics and International Relations
In the Politics and International Relations program, you will take a selection of courses that successfully prepare you for a career in a related field. Hands-on experiences and classroom learning within the framework of Christian faith will give you the skills and knowledge to achieve your goals. Our programs offer a wide variety of courses that will not only help you excel in your future career, but challenge you to develop a deeper understanding of your field of study.
Course options for Politics and International Relations :
Politics and International Relations (B.A.) with American Politics Concentration
Politics and International Relations (B.A.) with International Relations concentration
Politics and International Relations with Political Studies (B.A. from Messiah University) Public Policy and Management (M.S. from Carnegie Mellon)
Politics Minor
Careers and outcomes
Where our grads work
Graduates of this program work in positions of leadership in their places of employment, using the tools and knowledge a Messiah University education prepared them with. Each year, eager employers and some of the nation's best graduate schools welcome Messiah graduates into their organizations.
Where they work
- University of Texas
- Merck & Co.
- The Terrace Initiative
- Aqua America
- Inc.
- Circuit Court of Maryland
- U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Department of State
- Nixon Peabody LLP
- President's Office of Management and Budget
- A Rocha International
- Hope International
- Capital Region Economic Development Corporation
- Stock and Leader
- LLP
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation / Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia
What they do
- Lawyer
- District attorney
- Associate Director for Vaccine Policy and Government Relations
- Consultant
- Government relations representative
- U.S. Foreign Service officer
- Program examiner
- Finance coordinator
- Budget analyst
- City planner
- Congressional staffer
- Director of Communication and Advocacy
- Director of Policy and Government Relations
- Reporter
- Social psychologist
- Field representative
Graduate school
- London School of Economics
- Georgetown University
- Harvard Law School
- Maxwell School of Public Policy at Syracuse University
- University of Hawaii
- Princeton University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Oxford University
- University of Virginia
- University of Toronto
- University of North Carolina
- Duke University
- George Mason University
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
98% of the Class of 2025 respondents were employed or in graduate school within 6-9 months of graduation.
Our Alumni
Regional and national employers seek out Messiah graduates for their academic preparation, work ethic and personal character. The transformation you experience at Messiah readies you to transform the lives of others through your chosen career path.
MEET ALUMNI FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Practical learning
Many of our students study abroad in countries such as China or England, or participate directly with a faculty member to complete a research project. Our close proximity to the nation’s capital also provides a convenient way to spend a semester studying politics or completing an internship in the heart of Washington, D.C. through the American Studies Program.
Messiah's unique approach to hands-on learning
Learning in the classroom is important but actually applying that knowledge in a hands-on way can make all the difference. At Messiah University, the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) allows Messiah to take this hands-on learning to a new level by giving students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to various real world contexts--such as an internship/practica, service learning, off-campus program, holding a student leadership position, or participating in undergraduate research.
Humanities-based learning
Because our program is humanities-based, you can count on learning transferable skills, having insightful class discussions, learning those important quantitative skills and analyzing topics through reading and writing. You’ll not only answer the ‘how’, but will investigate the ‘why’ of issues—both at home and abroad.
Student- faculty engagement
You’ll study with a dedicated, committed Christian faculty who will introduce you to the major sub-fields of political science: American and comparative politics, international relations and political theory. Our low student-to-faculty ratio creates an intimate and collegial learning environment, one that places a premium on individual student initiative, with the goal of helping you grow into an intellectually agile, socially fluent, and self-confident politics degree student, ready for a job in government, community, business, law, communication, or well prepared to enroll in graduate or law school.
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