Education
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $85,020
- Outlook
- As fast as average
Doctoral or professional degree
- Reading Comprehension
- Instructing
- Speaking
ProgramsArea, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies
Area Studies
CIP05.01
420 colleges offer Area Studies. See what it covers, which degree levels are available and what graduates earn and borrow.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Colleges offering it
- 420
- at its most common level
- Bachelor's earnings
- $58,238
- median, 4 years after
- Bachelor's debt
- $17,200
- median federal loans
Colleges offering it, by degree level
- Certificate
- 81
- Associate's
- 45
- Bachelor's
- 420
- Master's
- 118
- Post-baccalaureate certificate
- 5
- Doctoral
- 45
- First professional
- 3
- Graduate/professional certificate
- 66
What it covers
About Area Studies
Area Studies is part of Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies: instructional programs that focus on the defined areas, regions, and countries of the world; defined minority groups within and across societies; and issues relevant to collective gender and group experience.
Definition: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs 2020, code 05.01.
Programs in this field
Colleges report these specific programs under CIP 05.01.
- African Studies
- American/United States Studies/Civilization
- Asian Studies/Civilization
- East Asian Studies
- Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies
- European Studies/Civilization
- Latin American Studies
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies
- Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies
- Russian Studies
- Scandinavian Studies
- South Asian Studies
By degree level
Earnings and debt by degree level
Medians across colleges of each college's own program median. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working.
| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | 81 | $63,9394 yrs after · 3 colleges | $22,3872 colleges |
| Associate's | 45 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Bachelor's | 420 | $58,2384 yrs after · 66 colleges | $17,20037 colleges |
| Master's | 118 | $77,9814 yrs after · 10 colleges | $51,0114 colleges |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 5 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Doctoral | 45 | Not reported | Not reported |
| First professional | 3 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 66 | Not reported | Not reported |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Colleges with too few graduates have their earnings and debt suppressed, so the number of colleges reporting is smaller than the number offering the program.
Bachelor's programs
Where Area Studies graduates earn the most
Median earnings four years after finishing, among programs with at least 10 graduates in the latest year. Earnings are one measure; cost and graduation rate matter too.
- 1
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · 27 graduates
$96,976
debt not reported
- 2
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofit · 63 graduates
$96,884
debt $18,000
- 3
Oxford, OH · Public · 24 graduates
$79,449
debt $19,642
- 4
Brunswick, ME · Private nonprofit · 50 graduates
$75,966
debt $15,500
- 5
University of Notre Dame-South Bend
Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit · 30 graduates
$75,832
debt not reported
- 6
Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit · 42 graduates
$75,563
debt $23,000
- 7
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO · Public · 55 graduates
$75,230
debt $19,500
- 8
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 28 graduates
$75,205
debt $12,000
- 9
Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit · 14 graduates
$73,229
debt not reported
- 10
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public · 60 graduates
$70,366
debt $15,643
Careers
Careers this program leads to
Occupations linked to Area Studies by the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for each occupation.
More in Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies
Other programs in the same area of study, by how many colleges offer them.
Every program in this areaQuestions about Area Studies
How many colleges offer Area Studies?
Published colleges on CollegesRef report Area Studies at these degree levels: certificate (81 colleges), associate's (45 colleges), bachelor's (420 colleges), master's (118 colleges), post-baccalaureate certificate (5 colleges), doctoral (45 colleges), first professional (3 colleges), graduate/professional certificate (66 colleges). Counts are from College Scorecard field-of-study data (2025).
What do Area Studies graduates earn?
At the median college, bachelor's graduates in Area Studies earn $58,238 a year four years after finishing, across 66 colleges that report earnings. Figures cover graduates who received federal aid.
Where do Area Studies graduates earn the most?
Cornell University-New York reports the highest median earnings for bachelor's graduates in Area Studies: $96,976 four years after finishing, among programs with at least 10 graduates.