2025 Best Area Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
If you plan on getting your master's degree in
area studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #116 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual reviewed 5 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of area studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 184 master's degrees in area studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * 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.
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Choosing a Great Area Studies School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of area studies for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality area studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on area studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of area studies students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt area studies students go into to obtain their master'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 colleges for area studies students working on their master's degree.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Area Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision.