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2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies

119 Colleges in the United States
1,036 Master's Degrees
$43,563 Avg Early-Career Salary
A master's degree in area studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #107 out of 326 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many colleges that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 119 colleges and universities when compiling its 2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,036 master's degrees in area studies during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Area Studies School for Your Master's Degree

Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies The area studies master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. We created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality area studies program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

Associate Degrees in Area Studies
Bachelor's Degrees in Area Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Area Studies
Overall Popularity in Area Studies

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. Plus, you can view our other rankings for area studies.

The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in area studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

17 Most Well Attended Schools for Area Studies Students Working on Their Master's

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
123 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In DC
#1 Best Quality In DC

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Georgetown University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in area studies. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in District of Columbia.

There were roughly 123 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available.

Area Studies master's degree recipients from Georgetown University earn a boost of about $12,338 over the typical earnings of area studies graduates.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Georgetown University

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
75 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NY
#3 Best Quality In NY

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at New York University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in area studies. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in New York.

There were roughly 75 area studies students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the area studies program state that they receive average early career income of $42,800.

More information about a master’s in area studies from New York University

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
47 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MA
#1 Best Quality In MA

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Harvard University if you want to pursue a master's degree in area studies. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Massachusetts.

There were approximately 47 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Harvard University

3
47 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In NY
#1 Best Quality In NY

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in area studies. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in New York.

There were approximately 47 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
32 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#1 Best Quality In CA

Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in California.

There were approximately 32 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

Master's recipients from the area studies program at Stanford University earn $5,538 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Stanford University

6
29 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#2 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in California.

There were approximately 29 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of California - Los Angeles

6
29 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WA
#1 Best Quality In WA

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Washington.

There were roughly 29 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.

Master's students who receive their degree from the area studies program earn about $36,500 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
25 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Illinois.

There were approximately 25 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their master's from the area studies program report average early career wages of $30,200.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of Chicago

9
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
24 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CT
#1 Best Quality In CT

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Connecticut.

There were roughly 24 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Yale University

10
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
23 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

There were about 23 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Duke University

10
23 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In TX
#1 Best Quality In TX

Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Texas.

There were about 23 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their master's from the area studies program state that they receive average early career income of $36,700.

More information about a master’s in area studies from The University of Texas at Austin

12
22 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Michigan.

There were approximately 22 area studies students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

Those area studies students who get their master's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $2,038 more than the average area studies grad.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

13
20 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the town of Athens. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Ohio.

There were approximately 20 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

13
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
20 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In RI
#1 Best Quality In RI

Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Rhode Island.

There were approximately 20 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Brown University

15
19 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In HI
#1 Best Quality In HI

UH Manoa is a large public university located in the large city of Honolulu. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Hawaii.

There were approximately 19 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UH Manoa in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of Hawaii at Manoa

16
18 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In FL
#3 Best Quality In FL

FIU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Miami. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in Florida.

There were approximately 18 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in area studies from Florida International University

16
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
18 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#5 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for master's degrees in area studies in California.

There were roughly 18 area studies individuals who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in area studies from University of San Francisco

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Area Studies students that almost earned our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies award.

Rank College Location
18 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
19 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
20 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
20 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
20 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
20 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
24 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
25 University of Florida Gainesville, FL

Area Studies by Region

View the Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Area Studies for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Area Studies is one of 1 different types of Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies programs to choose from.

Area Studies Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
American U.S. Studies 174
East Asian Studies 170
Latin American Studies 151
Near & Middle Eastern Studies 149
Asian Studies 81
Western European Studies 39
Central & Eastern European Studies 36
French Studies 27
African Studies 26
European Studies 25

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 510

Notes and References

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