2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in District of Columbia

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Master’s in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, there were 221 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,900 and $40,178 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 138 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,525 and $61,455 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and 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 Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in District of Columbia

#1

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$53,591 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$62,409 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 123 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Georgetown also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown are $53,591, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Georgetown University Area Studies Report

#2

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$31,824 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$53,984 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Washington University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

GWU also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at George Washington University are $31,824.

Read more about Area Studies at GWU

#3

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

$35,524 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$39,369 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The American University, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at American University are $35,524.

Read full report on Area Studies at The American University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Master’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.

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