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Best Area Studies Schools in California

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2023 Best Area Studies Schools in California

19 Colleges
$29,544 Avg Salary
$17,829 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Area Studies School for You

Area Studies is the #98 most popular major in California with 879 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Area Studies Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Area Studies Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Area Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Area Studies Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for area studies students. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Area Studies Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, area studies graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debtload of $17,000.

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The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in California. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

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#4

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Diego State University is a great place for area studies students. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

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#5

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Area Studies Schools in California list. USFCA is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of San Francisco

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for area studies students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

Area Studies majors at UCLA take out an average of $18,252 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - San Diego did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for area studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

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#8

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Area Studies Schools in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

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University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Area Studies Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at UCSB take out is $22,697.

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California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Area Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, area studies graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $13,367.

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Best Area Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Area Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 236
Oregon 56
Nevada 4
Hawaii 57
Alaska 1

One of 2 majors within the area of study, area studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Area Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 9,231
Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) 46

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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