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2025 Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

15 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
1,142 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$36,713 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in area studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #115 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 15 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,142 degrees in area studies annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Area Studies School

Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of area studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Area Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Area Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Area Studies
Master's Degrees in Area Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Area Studies

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of area studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Area Studies

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$50,728 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in area studies. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Area Studies degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of around $14,015 over the average income of area studies majors.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
200 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
4.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a great option for students interested in a degree in area studies. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 200.00000000000003 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the area studies degree program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus make $7,089 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA

It is hard to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in area studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

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

More information about a degree in area studies from University of Southern California

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$23,819 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in area studies needs to check out University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 78 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, area studies degree recipients usually earn around $23,819 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - Los Angeles

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA

UCSB is a very large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 27 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,527 Median Starting Salary

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 22 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, area studies degree recipients typically make an average of $21,527 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - Davis

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$28,591 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 48 area studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, area studies degree recipients typically make about $28,591 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in area studies from California State University - Long Beach

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in History Program Name

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More information about a degree in BA in History from Southern New Hampshire University

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8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$30,897 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 32 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the area studies program report average early career income of $30,897.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - Irvine

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA
39 Area Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 39 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of California - San Diego

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,427 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 29 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were approximately 15 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UO in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the area studies program make an average of $31,427 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of Oregon

Best Area Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best area studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 879
Washington 300 236
Oregon 266 51
Nevada 192 4
Hawaii 164 57
Alaska 119 1

View All Rankings >

One of 2 majors within the Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies area of study, Area Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Area Studies Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
American U.S. Studies 321
Area Studies, Other 246
Asian Studies 195
Latin American Studies 99
East Asian Studies 76
Japanese Studies 33
Near & Middle Eastern Studies 27
Chinese Studies 22
Central & Eastern European Studies 20
Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies 20

View All Area Studies Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 3,236
Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) 2

View All Area Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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