Area Studies
Area, Ethnic & Gender Studies
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,508 | $45,800 to $65,952 | 75 | 88% |
| Master's Degree | $74,265 | $71,018 to $89,929 | 11 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 1,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $85,020 | +2.7% | 1,000 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a area studies program, of 392 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus
- Georgetown University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
- New York University
- Harvard University
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.