2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
19
Ranked Colleges
184
Degrees Awarded
$41,365
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in the Far Western US Region” 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.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 1,142 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,715 and $19,674 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 184 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,396 and $49,784 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 19 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 the Far Western US Region”.
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.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region”.
Top 19 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. Stanford, California 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 42 students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Stanford University Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of San Francisco Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Hawaii at Manoa. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region. 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 full report on Area Studies at UH Manoa
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 4 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 93%. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at Pepperdine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region. 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 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 more about Area Studies at Cal State LA
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at UW Seattle
University of Oregon came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Eugene, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at UO
University of Southern California landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 8 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 University of Southern California
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 UCLA
University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UAF is located in Fairbanks, Alaska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Alaska Fairbanks
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 13 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State Fullerton Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 7 masters’s area studies 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 96%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UC Berkeley
California State University - Long Beach ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 5 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 87%. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at CSULB
University of California - San Diego ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of California - San Diego
University of California - Riverside ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Riverside
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report
San Diego State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at SDSU
University of California - Davis ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 22 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full UC Davis Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #19, Washington State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students 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 Wazzu Area Studies Report
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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
