2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 9 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at UMN Twin Cities

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Iowa Area Studies Report

#3

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#3 in overall quality

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

KU also made our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Kansas

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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.

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >