BS International Relations Scope in Pakistan: Universities

Quick Facts

Degree Level	BS
Discipline	International Relations, Social Sciences
Offered By	73 universities in our directory
Typical Duration	4 years

BS International Relations is a four-year undergraduate degree studying how states and international actors interact — diplomacy, foreign policy, international security, international law and organisations, and global political economy.

What You’ll Study

Coursework covers international relations theory, foreign policy analysis, international security and conflict, international law and organisations, diplomacy and negotiation, international political economy, and regional studies with emphasis on South Asia, the Middle East and major powers, plus research methods.

Career Scope in Pakistan

IR is one of the most popular social science degrees in Pakistan, largely because of its association with the Foreign Service and CSS. Realistic destinations include the civil service and Foreign Service, think tanks and policy research institutes, international organisations and the UN system, development and donor agencies, journalism and foreign affairs analysis, and corporate and organisational risk and government-relations roles.

A caution worth stating plainly: the degree’s popularity means graduate supply substantially exceeds the number of diplomatic and analyst positions, and entry to the Foreign Service is through CSS, which is fiercely competitive and open to graduates of any discipline. Students should treat IR as useful preparation rather than a pathway, and build differentiating capability — languages, regional expertise, quantitative methods or demonstrable published writing.

Admission Requirements

Intermediate or an equivalent qualification, plus the admission or aptitude test used by the university concerned. Social science programmes normally weight English proficiency and analytical writing. Check each university’s admissions page for the current cycle.

Where You Can Study This

73 universities
33 cities
50 public
23 private

Fees are not shown here: we hold a published figure for 21 of these 73 universities, and comparing one against a blank column would be misleading rather than informative. Each university page carries its own fee where we have it.

University	City	Sector	Duration
Air University	Islamabad	Public	4 years
Bahauddin Zakariya University	Multan	Public	2 years
Bahauddin Zakariya University	Multan	Public	4 years
Bahria University	Islamabad	Public	4 years
Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering & Management Sciences (BUITEMS)	Quetta	Public	—
Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari	Karachi	Public	—
Emerson University, Multan	Multan	Public	4 Year Degree Program
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology	Islamabad	Public	2 Years
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology	Islamabad	Public	4 Years
Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan	Dera Ghazi Khan	Public	4 years
Gomal University	Dera Ismail Khan	Public	4 Years
Government College for Women University, Sialkot	Sialkot	Public	4 years
Government College for Women University, Sialkot	Sialkot	Public	4 years
Government College University, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Public	4 Years
Government College University, Lahore	Lahore	Public	—
Government College Women University, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Public	4 years
Government College Women University, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Public	4 years
Hazara University	Mansehra	Public	—
International Islamic University	Islamabad	Public	4 Years
Karakurum International University	Gilgit	Public	4 years
Khawaja Freed University of Engineering & Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan	Rahim Yar Khan	Public	—
Kinnaird College for Women	Lahore	Public	—
Kohat University of Science and Technology	Kohat	Public	—
Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water & Marine Sciences	Lasbela	Public	—
Mirpur University of Science & Technology	Mirpur	Public	4 Years
National Defense University	Islamabad	Public	4 Years
National University of Modern Languages	Islamabad	Public	—
National University of Modern Languages	Islamabad	Public	—
Quaid-i-Azam University	Islamabad	Public	4 years
Shah Abdul Latif University Merit	Khairpur	Public	4 Years (BS)
Shah Abdul Latif University	Khairpur	Public	4 Years (BS)
Thal University, Bhakkar	Bhakkar	Public	4 years
University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir	Muzaffarabad	Public	4 Years
University of Chakwal, Chakwal	Chakwal	Public	4 Years
University of FATA	Kohat	Public	4 years
University of Gujrat	Gujrat	Public	—
University of Haripur	Haripur	Public	4 Years
University of Karachi	Karachi	Public	4 years
University of Kotli	Kotli	Public	2 Years
University of Kotli	Kotli	Public	4 Years
University of Layyah	Layyah	Public	—
University of Makran, Panjgur	Punjgur	Public	4 years
University of Peshawar	Peshawar	Public	4 years
University of Poonch	Poonch	Public	4 years
University of Sargodha	Sargodha	Public	—
University of Science & Technology	Bannu	Public	4 years
University of Sindh	Mirpur Khas	Public	4 years
University of Swabi	Swabi	Public	4 Years
University of the Punjab	Lahore	Public	—
Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir	Bagh	Public	4 years
Abasyn University	Peshawar	Private	—
Al-Hamd Islamic University	Quetta	Private	4 Years
DHA Suffa University	Karachi	Private	—
GIFT University	Gujranwala	Private	—
GIFT University	Gujranwala	Private	—
Grand Asian University, Sialkot	Sialkot	Private	—
International Institute of Science, Arts and Technology, Gujranwala	Gujranwala	Private	—
Jinnah University for Women	Karachi	Private	4 Years
Lahore Garrison University	Lahore	Private	—
Lahore Leads University	Lahore	Private	4 Years (8 semesters)
Minhaj University	Lahore	Private	—
MY University	Islamabad	Private	—
National College of Business Administration & Economics	Lahore	Private	—
Nippon Institute of Advanced Sciences, Sheikhupura	Sheikhupura	Private	4 Years
Riphah International University	Islamabad	Private	2.5 (5 Semesters) / 67 Credit Hours
Riphah International University	Islamabad	Private	4 Years (8 Semesters) / 130 Credit Hours
Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology	Karachi	Private	—
The University of Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Private	—
University of Central Punjab	Lahore	Private	—
University of Lahore	Lahore	Private	4 years
University of Management & Technology	Lahore	Private	—
University of Sialkot, Sialkot	Sialkot	Private	—
University of South Asia	Lahore	Private	—

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I join the Foreign Service with an International Relations degree?

Entry to the Foreign Service is through the CSS examination, which is open to graduates of any discipline. An IR degree is useful preparation because it overlaps with the syllabus, but it is not a pathway in itself and confers no advantage in selection.

Is International Relations a good degree in Pakistan?

It offers genuine routes into policy research, think tanks, international organisations and journalism, but it is a very popular degree and graduate supply exceeds available analyst and diplomatic positions. Differentiating skills — languages, regional expertise, quantitative methods, published writing — matter considerably.