by our College Data Analytics Team
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 the Southwest Region” 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 the Southwest region, there were 836 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,908 and $21,438 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 443 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,505 and $37,295 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 13 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.
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 the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree area studies students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and it awarded 369 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Area Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #2 spot on the list. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Highlands University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. This small school is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and it awarded 0 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
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
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern Oklahoma State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Alva, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 1 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%.
Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 9 masters’s area studies 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%.
Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Area Studies Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 25 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. UTEP is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 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%.
With a ranking of #9, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Waco, Texas, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students 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%. 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 University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas
With a ranking of #11, Dallas Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 2 masters’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Dallas landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Irving, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies