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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region

15 Ranked Colleges
103 Degrees Awarded
$44,382 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,257 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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 Great Lakes region, there were 704 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $25,269 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 103 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,182 and $43,142 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer 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.

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 Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 15 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 24 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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UChicago Area Studies Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 11 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 OHIO Athens

5
Valpo crest
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Valparaiso University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valparaiso, Indiana. It awarded 1 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Valpo

6

With a ranking of #6, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. BGSU is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at BGSU

7

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 UIUC

8

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Area Studies at UW - Madison

10

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 masters’s area studies 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

11

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at Ohio State

12
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 4 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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Area Studies Report

13

Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Youngstown State University is a fairly large school located in Youngstown, Ohio that handed out 3 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%.

Full Youngstown State University Area Studies Report

13
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 12 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern

13
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at DePaul

Notes and References

References

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