2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” 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 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 Getting Aid” 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area studies program at the school. 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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$56,562 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Saint Louis, Missouri 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 6 students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562.

Read more about Area Studies at Washington University in St Louis

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Iowa Area Studies Report

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

KU also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007.

Full KU Area Studies Report

#4

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$22,074 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Louis University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Saint Louis University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Saint Louis University Area Studies Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (With Aid)

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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