2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Southwest Region
19
Ranked Colleges
276
Degrees Awarded
$28,908
Avg Salary
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 971 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,908 and $20,361 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 276 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,112 and $26,227 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in area studies.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region”.
Top 19 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Fort-Worth, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Area Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Austin College is located in Sherman, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Full Austin College Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Southwestern is located in Georgetown, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Southwestern University Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Trinity University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Rice Area Studies Report
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full University of Arizona Area Studies Report
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UT Austin Area Studies Report
Southern Methodist University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at SMU
With a ranking of #10, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern State University
With a ranking of #11, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Waco, Texas, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Baylor
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at OSU
Texas Christian University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas Christian University is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at Texas Christian University
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe
With a ranking of #15, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
University of Houston ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Houston Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full The University of Texas at Dallas Area Studies Report
University of North Texas came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UNT
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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