2025 Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in
area studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #85 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
College Factual looked at 7 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 401 bachelor's degrees in area studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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Featured Area Studies Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Anthropology
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.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Area Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree
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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
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 take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to area studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of area studies students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt area studies students go into to obtain their bachelor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized area studies related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for area studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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Featured Area Studies Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Anthropology
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.
Learn More
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in area studies.
Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Area Studies
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in area studies needs to take a look at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, area studies bachelor's recipients typically earn about $28,261 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in area studies. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
Bachelor's recipients from the area studies major at University of Notre Dame make $2,023 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Notre Dame
It's hard to beat Miami University - Oxford if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in area studies. Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a large student population.
Area Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Miami University - Oxford get an earnings boost of around $17,356 above the typical income of area studies majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from Miami University - Oxford
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in area studies has to take a look at University of Wisconsin - Madison. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.
Soon after graduating, area studies bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $24,332 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in area studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign