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2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

13 Ranked Colleges
135 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master's in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 California, there were 1,008 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,743 and $17,480 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 135 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and 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

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 Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 13 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 32 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 15 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 29 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCLA Area Studies Report

#11 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree area studies students with aid list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Fullerton

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 6 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784.

Full CSULB Area Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Riverside Area Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 3 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at UCSD

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at San Diego State University

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 3 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Davis

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Southern California

#13

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#5 in overall quality

University of San Francisco landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

USFCA also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of San Francisco are $26,710.

Read more about Area Studies at University of San Francisco

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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