2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,734 and had an average of $23,024 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 231 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,300 and $16,005 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 18 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,560 and $37,817 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

#1 in overall quality

$24,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #1 spot on the list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

U of U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695.

Read full report on Area Studies at U of U

#2

Utah State University

Logan, Utah

#2 in overall quality

$22,598 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 7 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USU also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at USU are $22,598, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USU Area Studies Report

#3

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

$32,980 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder also took the #0 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980.

Read full report on Area Studies at CU - Boulder

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.

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