2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in California
14
Ranked Colleges
142
Degrees Awarded
$48,121
Avg Salary
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 California, there were 793 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,544 and $16,143 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 142 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” ranking looked at 14 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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California”.
Top 14 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in California
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. 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.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Area Studies at Stanford University
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of San Francisco landed the #2 spot on the list. University of San Francisco is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 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 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 more about Area Studies at USFCA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California. Malibu, 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 4 students in 2021-2022.
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 93%.
Read more about Area Studies at Pepperdine
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students 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 Cal State LA Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 USC
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 28 masters’s area studies degrees 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%. 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 UCLA
California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 13 masters’s area studies 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%. 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 Cal State Fullerton
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 7 students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Area Studies Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 5 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 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 CSULB
University of California - San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s area studies 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - San Diego
University of California - Riverside landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Area Studies Report
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and 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 91%. 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report
San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at San Diego State University
University of California - Davis landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 22 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full UC Davis Area Studies Report
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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
