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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts

26 Ranked Colleges
259 Degrees Awarded
$35,357 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2021-2022, 6,257 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In , area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $22,500 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 365 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,357 and $18,200 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 259 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,973 and $23,950 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts” ranking looked at 26 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. That schools that top this list have a program in area studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts” 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree area studies students.

Top 26 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Massachusetts

1
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Smith College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts. Northampton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 21 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Smith

2
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts. This small school is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at Williams College

3
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wellesley College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts. Wellesley is a small school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts that handed out 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Area Studies at Wellesley College

4
Brandeis crest
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brandeis University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Brandeis University is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at Brandeis

5
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Amherst College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 27 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Amherst College

6
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Mt. Holyoke is a small school located in South Hadley, Massachusetts that handed out 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Area Studies at Mt. Holyoke

7
Stonehill crest
Stonehill College
Easton, Massachusetts

Stonehill College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Easton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Stonehill Area Studies Report

8
Hampshire crest
Hampshire College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Hampshire College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Hampshire is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Hampshire College

9
Wheaton College Massachusetts crest
Wheaton College Massachusetts
Norton, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, Wheaton College Massachusetts did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Wheaton College Massachusetts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Norton, Massachusetts. It awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Wheaton College Massachusetts Area Studies Report

10
Holy Cross crest
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts

College of the Holy Cross landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. College of the Holy Cross is a small school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Holy Cross Area Studies Report

11
Simon's Rock crest
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Bard College at Simon’s Rock came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Simon’s Rock is a private not-for-profit institution located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Area Studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock

12
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Tufts

13
Clark crest
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Area Studies at Clark

14

University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Massachusetts - Boston

15
Assumption crest
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Assumption University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Assumption University Area Studies Report

16
Springfield College crest
Springfield College
Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Springfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Springfield College Area Studies Report

17
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts

Simmons University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Simmons is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Simmons Area Studies Report

18
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Boston University

19
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Harvard University Area Studies Report

20
Western New England crest
Western New England University
Springfield, Massachusetts

Western New England University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Western New England University

21

University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMass Amherst Area Studies Report

22

University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, this fairly large public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Massachusetts - Lowell Area Studies Report

23
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northeastern Area Studies Report

24
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #24. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Area Studies at Boston College

25
Emmanuel Boston crest
Emmanuel College Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Emmanuel College Massachusetts did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #25. Emmanuel Boston is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at Emmanuel Boston

25
Suffolk crest
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Massachusetts ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Suffolk University Area Studies Report

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