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Best Value Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$50,650 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,493 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Area Studies is the #77 most popular major in Massachusetts with 414 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for area studies students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for area studies majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of Massachusetts Amherst to be the best value school for area studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Massachusetts. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UMass Amherst undergraduate students pay an average of $16,439 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#2

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Out of the 10 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamstown.

Williams undergraduate students pay an average of $59,660 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Williams not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Read full report on Area Studies at Williams College

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Massachusetts - Boston is a great value for area studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UMass Boston undergraduate students pay an average of $14,677 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#4

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Amherst College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Amherst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Amherst.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Amherst are $61,150 a year.

Amherst not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Read More…

#5

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA

Out of the 10 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Wellesley College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Wellesley is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wellesley.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wellesley are $60,752 per year.

Wellesley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Read More…

#6

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

Brandeis University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Brandeis undergraduate students pay an average of $60,006 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Area Studies at Brandeis University Report

#7

Tufts University

Medford, MA

Tufts University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Tufts is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Medford.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tufts are $63,000 per year.

Tufts also claimed a spot on our Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Area Studies at Tufts University Report

Wheaton College Massachusetts ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Wheaton College Massachusetts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Norton.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wheaton College Massachusetts are $58,180 per year.

Read More…

#9

Smith College

Northampton, MA

Smith College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree area studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Northampton, Smith is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Smith are $56,114 per year.

Read full report on Area Studies at Smith College

#10

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, MA

Mount Holyoke College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree area studies programs. Mt. Holyoke is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of South Hadley.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Mt. Holyoke are $56,518 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Area Studies Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Area Studies Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 217
New Hampshire 60
Maine 75
Rhode Island 107
Vermont 45

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

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

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

  • 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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