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

11 Ranked Colleges
127 Degrees Awarded
$31,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master's 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 127 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Chicago Area Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’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

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at Purdue University - Main Campus

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s 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. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Area Studies Report

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Master’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 IU Bloomington are $33,338.

Read more about Area Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

#9 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbus, Ohio 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.

Ohio State also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are $37,141, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at Ohio State

#8 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

#10 in overall quality

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

BGSU also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus are $15,823.

Read more about Area Studies at BGSU

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’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 OHIO Athens are $17,712.

Read full report on Area Studies at OHIO Athens

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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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