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

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 Master’s 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 24 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 3 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 Master’s 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region.

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

#1

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#2 in overall quality

$25,007 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kansas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Read full report on Area Studies at KU

#2

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$22,074 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Louis University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. SLU is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

SLU also made our “Best Area Studies Master’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 Saint Louis University are $22,074.

Full SLU Area Studies Report

#3

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$56,562 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Area Studies at WUSTL

• Best Value Master’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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