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MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Area Studies worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 10 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$77,981 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$77,981Median year-4 earnings

$22,355Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$77,981Typical earnings four years after completion

$81,451Average earnings five years after completion

Not availableTypical federal student debt

51thEarnings percentile among the same degree level

7Degrees awarded in 2024–25

10College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 2 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Area Studies

How much do Area Studies master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $77,981 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Area Studies?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $71,404 to $88,197 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Area Studies?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 1 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $63,939
Federal debt: $25,092
Programs in the comparison: 4

3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $57,208
Federal debt: $21,000
Programs in the comparison: 84

70 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $77,981
Federal debt: Not available
Programs in the comparison: 10

10 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $47,725
Federal debt: Not available
Programs in the comparison: 1

1 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$71,404National median$77,98175th percentile$88,197

10 programs report year‑4 earnings.

BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$88,19775th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs

Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it

0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median

SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Stanford University

$116,125 four years after completionStanford, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Georgetown University

133 reported awards in 2024–25Washington, DC · inspect the full program →

PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$115,583Observed year-4 earnings$64,228

Stanford University$13,807 price · $116,125 earnings Harvard University$19,066 price · $115,583 earnings Georgetown University$40,815 price · $91,661 earnings University of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $88,197 earnings Columbia University in the City of New York$21,590 price · $81,697 earnings George Washington University$36,586 price · $74,265 earnings University of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $71,833 earnings New York University$37,050 price · $71,404 earnings University of Chicago$14,860 price · $70,631 earnings University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $64,228 earnings

$12,548Annual college-wide average net price$37,050

Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

StateCollege typeMaximum federal debtSort shortlist by

10 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 10 shown

1Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$116,125Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$13,807

2Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$115,583Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$19,066

3Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$91,661Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$40,815

4University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WA · PublicYear-4 earnings$88,197Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$14,091

5Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$81,697Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$21,590

6George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$74,265Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$36,586

7University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · PublicYear-4 earnings$71,833Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$12,548

8New York UniversityNew York, NY · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$71,404Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$37,050

9University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private nonprofitYear-4 earnings$70,631Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$14,860

10University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI · PublicYear-4 earnings$64,228Federal debtNot availableAnnual net price$13,138

Search every reporting program →

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Stanford University$116,125 2Harvard University$115,583 3Georgetown University$91,661 4University of Washington-Seattle Campus$88,197 5Columbia University in the City of New York$81,697 6George Washington University$74,265 7University of California, Los Angeles$71,833 8New York University$71,404 9University of Chicago$70,631 10University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$64,228

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$85,020 median wage11,300 jobs nationwide+2.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$52,070–$160,420 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.