# Area Studies

> Area Studies is a field of study in the Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies area.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/area-studies
- CIP code: 05.01 (Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies)
- Colleges offering it: 420 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 81 | $40,199 | $63,939 | $22,387 |
| Associate's | 45 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 420 | $42,038 | $58,238 | $17,200 |
| Master's | 118 | $61,123 | $77,981 | $51,011 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 45 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| First professional | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 66 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Ithaca, NY | $96,976 | not reported |
| [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york-656) | New York, NY | $96,884 | $18,000 |
| [Miami University-Oxford](https://www.collegesref.com/college/miami-university-oxford-1675) | Oxford, OH | $79,449 | $19,642 |
| [Bowdoin College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bowdoin-college-287) | Brunswick, ME | $75,966 | $15,500 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Notre Dame, IN | $75,832 | not reported |
| [Fordham University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fordham-university-990) | Bronx, NY | $75,563 | $23,000 |
| [University of Missouri-Columbia](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-missouri-columbia-main-campus-2965) | Columbia, MO | $75,230 | $19,500 |
| [Emory University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/emory-university-main-campus-916) | Atlanta, GA | $75,205 | $12,000 |
| [Trinity College-Connecticut](https://www.collegesref.com/college/trinity-college-connecticut-2812) | Hartford, CT | $73,229 | not reported |
| [University of California-Berkeley](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Berkeley, CA | $70,366 | $15,643 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/area-ethnic-and-cultural-studies-teachers-postsecondary): $85,020 median pay

## More in Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies

- [Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/ethnic-cultural-minority-gender-and-group-studies): 473 colleges
- Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies, Other: 6 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/