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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Plains States 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 Plains States region, there were 335 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,400 and $23,969 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 24 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 4 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.

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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$56,562 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at WUSTL

#2

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$22,074 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Louis University landed the #2 spot on the list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SLU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SLU are $22,074, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SLU Area Studies Report

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 3 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Iowa has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at Iowa

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#2 in overall quality

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 10 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Kansas

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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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