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2025 Best Area Studies Schools in Massachusetts

5 Colleges in Massachusetts
365 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$36,713 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in area studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #115 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Area Studies Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 365 degrees in area studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Area Studies School

Best Area Studies Schools in Massachusetts The area studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Area Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Area Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Area Studies 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 Massachusetts list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Area Studies in Massachusetts

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the area studies degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Massachusetts Schools in Area Studies

1
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA

It is difficult to beat Wellesley College if you wish to pursue a degree in area studies. Located in the suburb of Wellesley, Wellesley is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #94 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Wellesley is a great college overall.

There were about 28 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Wellesley in the most recent data year. Area Studies degree recipients from Wellesley College earn a boost of around $6,518 over the typical earnings of area studies majors.

More information about a degree in area studies from Wellesley College

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Area Studies Degrees Awarded
$43,748 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Brandeis University if you wish to pursue a degree in area studies. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 15th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 41 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Brandeis in the most recent data year. Those area studies students who get their degree from Brandeis University receive $7,035 more than the standard area studies student.

More information about a degree in area studies from Brandeis University

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

Related Programs

3
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA

Any student pursuing a degree in area studies has to take a look at Amherst College. Located in the small city of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Amherst is a great college overall.

There were roughly 27 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Amherst in the most recent data year. Area Studies degree recipients from Amherst College get an earnings boost of around $12,436 over the typical income of area studies majors.

More information about a degree in area studies from Amherst College

4
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,878 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Smith College if you wish to pursue a degree in area studies. Located in the small city of Northampton, Smith is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 21st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 21 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Smith in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the area studies program report average early career earnings of $29,878.

More information about a degree in area studies from Smith College

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MA

UMass Boston is a large public university located in the large city of Boston. This university ranks 25th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 13 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in area studies from University of Massachusetts - Boston

Best Area Studies Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Area Studies Schools in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 241 217
New Hampshire 210 60
Maine 202 75
Rhode Island 200 107
Vermont 194 45

View All Rankings >

Area Studies is one of 2 different types of Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies programs to choose from.

Area Studies Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
American U.S. Studies 108
East Asian Studies 68
Near & Middle Eastern Studies 61
Asian Studies 29
Central & Eastern European Studies 27
Latin American Studies 20
Russian Studies 10
German Studies 7
Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign) 6
Area Studies, Other 6

View All Area Studies Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 271

View All Area Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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