2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Virginia
3
Ranked Colleges
14
Degrees Awarded
$40,100
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia” ranking.
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 Virginia, there were 177 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,514 and $21,358 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 14 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,799 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree 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 Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia master’s degree area studies students.
Top 3 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Area Studies at William & Mary
Out of the 3 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 6 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Virginia
Out of the 3 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full George Mason University Area Studies Report
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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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