by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for area studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 193 bachelor's degrees in area studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
Your choice of area studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for area studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in area studies.
It is hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in area studies. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the area studies program make an average of $30,716 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from Washington University in St Louis
It's hard to beat University of Kansas if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in area studies. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Kansas
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in area studies needs to look into University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the area studies program at University of Missouri - Columbia earn $11,644 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Missouri - Columbia
St Olaf College is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in area studies. Located in the town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Area Studies bachelor's degree recipients from St Olaf College earn a boost of approximately $3,117 above the typical earnings of area studies majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from St Olaf College
Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the area studies program earn an average of $19,426 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of IowaExplore the best area studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 228 | 102 |
| Minnesota | 215 | 84 |
| Iowa | 197 | 42 |
| Kansas | 184 | 22 |
| Nebraska | 180 | 9 |
| North Dakota | 149 | 2 |
| South Dakota | 148 | 0 |
One of 2 majors within the Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies area of study, Area Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Area Studies, Other | 61 |
| Asian Studies | 39 |
| American U.S. Studies | 38 |
| Latin American Studies | 21 |
| Chinese Studies | 6 |
| Scandinavian Studies | 5 |
| Latin American & Caribbean Studies | 5 |
| African Studies | 4 |
| East Asian Studies | 4 |
| Russian Studies | 4 |
