2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Plains States 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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region 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.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

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 $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) 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 join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 6 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at Washington University in St Louis

#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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Louis University landed the #2 spot on the list. Saint Louis University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Louis University are $22,074, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at Saint Louis University

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

$27,613 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 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 $48-$75k 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Iowa

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#2 in overall quality

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kansas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Kansas

• 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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