International Relations

At Lake Forest College, our students and faculty approach global issues like war and peace, development and underdevelopment, and imperialism and national self-determination with an interdisciplinary approach.

Through study in politics, history, economics, sociology, psychology, and foreign languages, our students prepare for positions in US national government and the national governments of other countries, and with inter-governmental institutions, non-governmental institutions, and business enterprises.

Faculty Course Descriptions Requirements Student Learning Outcomes Internships and Careers

International Relations

Why study international relations at Lake Forest College?

The Department of Politics and International Relations teaches students to think critically and reason analytically. Our courses explore complex political issues at local, regional, national, and global levels.

International relations students are trained to be effective writers, researchers, and public speakers. We prepare our students for careers in the public, private, and non-profit sectors and to lead lives as informed and responsible members of their communities, however they imagine them.

Hands-on experience in international relationss

International relations students have the opportunity to learn in hands-on contexts. Here are a few ways our students get firsthand experience in their field:

Professor Caparelli and a group of students are assisting the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishment, which is a group of system-impacted individuals working on legislative initiatives to remove barriers to re-entry into society.
Students intern at the 19th judicial circuit help desk internship program, where they use classroom skills to help individuals navigate the civil and criminal justice realms of the court complex.
Professor Cook has extensive contacts in politics and government circles in the city of Chicago, as well as in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois. He has worked to create volunteer opportunities for Lake Forest College students to do community service in Chicago through Alderman Andre Vasquez’s 40th ward.
Our students pursue internships through the Gorter Family Career Advancement Center's nationally recognized Career Pathways program.

Careers for international relations majors

Our international relations graduates find success across major organizations such as:

Council on Foreign Relations
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition
McKinsey & Company
South Asia Institute
Spanish Ministry of Education
The Circle India
U.S. House of Representatives
World Chicago

Dual-Degree Program in International Studies

Under an agreement with the Graduate School of International Policy and Management (GSIPM) at the Middlebury's Monterey Institute of International Studies, highly qualified Lake Forest College students may be admitted to the Institute with accelerated status, and can complete their Master’s degrees with 48 credits as opposed to the 60 normally required.

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Success in top graduate programs for international relations students

Our international relations graduates have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at notable institutions:

Juris Doctor (Depaul University, George Mason University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Loyola University Chicago, Northeastern University, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Vanderbilt University)
Master’s of Business Administration (University of Miami)
Master’s in International Relations/International Affairs (American University, University of Chicago)
Master’s of Philosophy in Criminology (University of Cambridge)
Master’s of Public Policy (University of California San Diego)

a student visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany

Study abroad as an international relations student

International relations students have the opportunity and flexibility to student abroad during their time at Lake Forest College. Lake Forest College offers over 250 study abroad options in 70 countries, and those are just our semester options!

Most popular destinations for international relations majors include: