It's often said that the importance of a college graduate's specific undergraduate degree melts away in the real world as graduates find their fit regardless of what they spent all those hours in Tisch madly memorizing. Future liberal arts graduates can take comfort in the story of the English major that opens a restaurant or the Political Science major who spends their post−graduation years happily at the head of a preschool classroom.
For majors in one of Tufts' most popular academic spheres, International Relations (IR), the future is even more unencumbered by expectations.
One of the most tricky things about finding a way to fit an IR degree into a practical career plan, according to IR Program Administrator John Taylor, is how truly diverse the field of study is. An IR major can study economics, history, international law, philosophy, geography, social work, sociology, anthropology, psychology, women's studies or any mix of the above — and the list goes on.
"With IR, the door is wide open. It's kind of a blessing and a curse," Leslie Ogden, a senior and IR major, said. On the one hand, Ogden said, the major allows for expertise in a diverse range of topics.
"It's helping to shape so many people's minds in so many different areas, regardless of your specialization, you are learning to make connections," she said.
Taylor echoed the interdisciplinary nature of the program.
"IR is the study of international relations, but we have over 18 affiliated departments. [Students] take courses in many different subject areas around Tufts, it is an interdisciplinary major that connects multiple different fields," he said.
Because of this flexibility, IR alumni have the skills necessary to make it in a wide variety of jobs.
"The IR major really prepares students to pursue a wide variety of potential career paths," Taylor said. "From the class of 2011 alone, we had students end up in the federal government, the Peace Corps, Teach for America, finance and management consulting, and we've had students work for newspapers and other publications all around the world."
Rather than prepare students for one or a handful of occupations as an education in chemical engineering, for example, IR strives to provide students with the necessary skill set to take on an impossibly wide range of challenges and occupations. Teacher and blogger Karl Fisch infamously stated that "We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet." This is the goal of the IR field.
Justin Ferranti, a senior, hopes to apply his IR degree to a career in international business.
"I'm hoping to use the skills and knowledge I have gained and apply it in the international business realm," Ferranti said. "[Through IR] I have learned to interact with multiple cultures and I believe it could be put to good use in the world of entrepreneurship."
Ogden has specialized in security studies, and said she hopes to apply this in tandem with her interest in sustainable development.
Ogden said the prestige of an IR degree specifically from Tufts opens the window for post−graduation opportunities. "First of all, there's [the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy] right there next to us," Ogden said.
"It's great to be able to take advantage of their facilities and professors alike," Ogden said. "I actually came to Tufts because of IR," she noted. "There's an automatic degree of respect that comes with a Tufts degree."
While IR majors may seem to be dime a dozen on the Hill, the truth is that with such a wide variety of possible specializations, no two IR students are alike. IR majors have a world of opportunity ahead of them, and paired with a Tufts reputation, there are sure to be some Jumbos in the headlines of the future.
