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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that 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 $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer 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

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 Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

#1 in overall quality

$24,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. U of U is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Utah

#2

Utah State University

Logan, Utah

#2 in overall quality

$22,598 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Utah State University is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 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 Utah State University are $22,598.

Full Utah State University 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 $48-$75k. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 3 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at CU - Boulder

• 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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