2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

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 Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

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 Illinois, there were 139 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,433 and $25,759 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 46 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. 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.

UChicago also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at UChicago

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Area Studies Report

#4

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, Illinois

$17,032 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Area Studies Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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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