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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region

6 Ranked Colleges
26 Degrees Awarded
$35,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States 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 Plains States region, there were 307 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,952 and $25,098 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 26 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,401 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 6 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.

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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 the Plains States Region”.

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. 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.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region

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

Top 6 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region

1
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

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 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies 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 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at KU

2
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Louis University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 3 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 SLU Area Studies Report

3
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 5 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 94%.

Full WUSTL Area Studies Report

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 6 masters’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Iowa Area Studies Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 more about Area Studies at UMN Twin Cities

6
Creighton crest
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska

Creighton University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 more about Area Studies at Creighton

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