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2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

7 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$30,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,734 and had an average of $23,024 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 850 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,363 and $22,838 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 27 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,428 and $121,375 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at U-M

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at UW - Madison

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Purdue also took the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Area Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 1 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#5

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #5 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at IU Bloomington

#6 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Area Studies Report

#7 in overall quality

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s area studies degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

BGSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at BGSU are $15,823, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Area Studies at BGSU

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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