2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Plains States Region” 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 Plains States region, there were 335 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,400 and $23,969 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 9 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree area studies students.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#3 in overall quality

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

KU also made our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007.

Read more about Area Studies at KU

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 4 doctorate’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at Iowa

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.

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