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Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region

27 Colleges
$28,908 Avg Salary
$20,361 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Area Studies School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, area studies was ranked #112 in the country. In fact 6,966 degrees and certificates were handed out 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in the Southwest Region to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Area Studies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for area studies majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to be the most popular school for area studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fort-Worth.

Read full report on Area Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Out of the 27 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

Area Studies majors at UT Austin take out an average of $15,412 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $268, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Area Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

Out of the 27 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the # 3 spot on the list. University of Arizona is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tucson.

Area Studies majors at University of Arizona take out an average of $23,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Area Studies majors at UNM take out an average of $18,531 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

The excellent programs at Arizona State University - Tempe helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Area Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

#6

Rice University

Houston, TX

Rice University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for area studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Northeastern State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for area studies students. NSU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Tahlequah.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern State University

Southern Methodist University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular area studies programs. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read More…

#8

Trinity University

San Antonio, TX

Trinity University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for area studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Trinity U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Antonio.

Read full report on Area Studies at Trinity University

#10

Baylor University

Waco, TX

Baylor University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Area Studies at Baylor University Report

Best Area Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best area studies colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 804
Arizona 83
Oklahoma 17
New Mexico 42

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 27 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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