by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major” ranking.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,323 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major” ranking analyzed 123 colleges that offered a degree 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major”.
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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 369 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Full Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major. Georgetown University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 99 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 27 masters’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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 42 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 123 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 55 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
With a ranking of #6, Yale University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 42 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
University of San Francisco came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. USFCA is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 11 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Guam ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. This small school is located in Mangilao, Guam, and it awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
University of Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. 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%.
Northeastern State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern State University
With a ranking of #11, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 45 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York
New York University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #12. New York University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Princeton University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 14 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 17 masters’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%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Hawaii at Manoa
With a ranking of #15, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
New Mexico Highlands University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. New Mexico Highlands University is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 more about Area Studies at New Mexico Highlands University
Pepperdine University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 ranking of #18, Northwestern Oklahoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Alva, Oklahoma, this small public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern Oklahoma State University
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 11 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Area Studies Report
Seton Hall University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Seton Hall University is located in South Orange, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
University of Wyoming did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #22. University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 93%.
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students 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 0.4% 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%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies