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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

7 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$30,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Area Studies is the 106th most popular major in the country with 6,820 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Great Lakes region, there were 850 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,363 and $22,838 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 27 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,428 and $121,375 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 7 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at UW - Madison

#2

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794.

Full Purdue Area Studies Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 2 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full U-M Area Studies Report

#4

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Area Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s area studies degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read more about Area Studies at UIUC

#6 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at UIC

#7 in overall quality

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

BGSU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus are $15,823, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at BGSU

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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.

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