by our College Data Analytics TeamA major in Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies covers Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, And Group Studies. Instructional Programs That Focus On The Defined Areas, Regions, And Countries Of The World; Defined Minority Groups Within And Across Societies; And Issues Relevant To Collective Gender And Group Experience. Read on to learn the important information every area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies programs.
In the U.S., area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies is a popular field of study, with 15,044 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools ranking analyzes these 666 schools to determine the best overall colleges for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies programs later in this article.
Programs in Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates commonly enter.
Skills developed in a area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.Degree Typical Program Length Graduates Annually Certificate Varies 105 Associate Degree 2 years 869 Bachelor’s Degree 4 years 8,288 Master’s Degree 1-3 years 5,411 Doctorate At least 4 years 359
People currently working in careers related to area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies tend to have obtained the following education levels.Level of Education Percentage of Workers Doctoral degree 59.8% Master’s degree 30.9% Post-doctoral training 3.9% Post-master’s certificate 3.2% First professional degree 1.1% Bachelor’s degree 0.6% High school diploma or equivalent 0.3%
View the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Studying area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies prepares you for a variety of career paths. Below are some of the most common occupations related to area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies.Occupation Projected Jobs Expected Growth Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary 718,152 6.5% Interpreters and Translators 424,722 12.2%
College Scorecard reports median earnings of area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $34,569 |
| 4 years | $50,126 |
| 5 years | $58,481 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies grads often go into.Occupation Median Annual Salary Interpreters and Translators $52,627 Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary $47,517
With 666 different area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies school rankings to help you.
Students interested in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 9,122 |
| Area Studies | 5,875 |
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 47 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
