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Area Studies

Types of Degrees Area Studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying Area Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	28
Associate’s Degree	165
Bachelor’s Degree	3,463
Master’s Degree	1,996
Doctor’s Degree	220

What Area Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in Area Studies develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Area Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Area Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Area Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Area Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Area Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Area Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Area Studies graduates include:

• University Faculty Member
• Humanities Professor
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• American Studies Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• Ethnic Studies Professor
• Women’s Studies Professor
• Gender Studies Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Ethnology Professor
• African Studies Professor
• Asian Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Area Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Area Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.9% women and 40.1% men among Area Studies graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,521	59.9%
Men	2,354	40.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Area Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,620	44.6%
Asian	551	9.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,022	17.4%
Black or African American	421	7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	16	0.3%
Two or More Races	350	6.0%
Race Unknown	147	2.5%
International Students	726	12.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Area Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Area Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Area Studies Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Area Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	1
Bachelor’s	3	10
Master’s	4	6

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Area Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Area Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Ethnic Cultural Gender Studies	05
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies, Other	05.99
AREA, ETHNIC, CULTURAL, GENDER, AND GROUP STUDIES	05.00
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	05.02

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.