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Regional & Ethnic Studies

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Regional and Ethnic Studies majors take a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to understanding specific geographic areas or cultural identities. Rather than focusing through a single academic lens, you will explore the complex interplay of history, politics, literature, sociology, economics, and language.

Area studies tracks dive deeply into the geopolitics and culture of specific global regions, while ethnic studies tracks examine the histories, civil rights struggles, and contributions of specific diasporic or marginalized communities. Both paths rigorously develop your critical thinking, research, and cross-cultural communication skills.

What you'll do after college

Because this degree builds deep cultural fluency and analytical prowess, graduates pursue highly diverse career paths. Area studies graduates frequently transition into international business, global NGOs, journalism, and intelligence or foreign service.

Ethnic studies graduates are strongly positioned for careers in law, public policy, education, advocacy, social work, and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. While entry-level salaries in advocacy or education can be modest, those who leverage their expertise in international consulting, trade, or corporate roles can see highly lucrative earnings.

Famous graduates

  • Mira Sorvino — Academy Award-winning actress; B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University
  • Lupita Nyong'o — Academy Award-winning actress; B.A. in Film and African Studies from Hampshire College
  • Angela Bassett — Acclaimed actress; B.A. in African American Studies from Yale University
  • Mae Jemison — First Black woman in space; B.A. in African and African-American Studies (and B.S. in Chemical Engineering) from Stanford University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$48,866
437
100–72%
$52,338
967
72–29%
$60,706
992
29–11%
$67,749
414
11–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

By SAT median

$52,133
192
400–1240
$55,852
445
1240–1410
$61,794
451
1410–1500
$72,492
187
1500–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$0 $50,000 $100,000 #1 #25 #50 #100 #250 #750 #1259 Selectivity rank (1 = most selective) #512 · $42,689 #627 · $50,861 #645 · $51,482 #670 · $50,559 #955 · $61,013 #7 · $72,256 #45 · $47,562 #103 · $76,858 #507 · $48,046 #183 · $44,815 #1056 · $56,428 #314 · $59,055 #93 · $48,161 #47 · $59,512 #1188 · $45,823 #6 · $69,058 #803 · $50,797 #37 · $58,197 #144 · $45,053 #880 · $53,263 #15 · $86,892 #87 · $58,154 #266 · $44,656 #706 · $52,917 #225 · $92,867 #63 · $81,282 #699 · $48,433 #44 · $65,127 #66 · $60,389 #24 · $83,086 #11 · $63,729 #17 · $75,505 #298 · $64,564 #194 · $51,518 #291 · $45,772 #21 · $63,347 #85 · $55,384 #30 · $76,142 #127 · $57,023 #90 · $50,621 #1095 · $46,782 #120 · $56,134 #589 · $54,089 #50 · $59,888 #117 · $59,169 #140 · $48,113 #42 · $54,277 #49 · $53,013 #705 · $46,241 #3 · $84,039 #199 · $60,360 #78 · $46,973 #277 · $50,620 #451 · $53,437 #57 · $60,852 #156 · $59,135 #215 · $40,631 #39 · $62,161 #40 · $81,827 #1233 · $52,135 #99 · $45,225 #122 · $68,705 #119 · $48,249 #239 · $64,784 #162 · $52,444 #1218 · $31,899 #832 · $51,859 #591 · $65,514 #253 · $58,235 #608 · $49,998 #707 · $37,191 #352 · $40,924 #406 · $43,619 #96 · $47,534 #27 · $63,373 #181 · $53,905 #123 · $50,972 #1147 · $53,805 #773 · $48,676 #322 · $55,112 #1185 · $50,045 #590 · $39,307 #236 · $36,518 #115 · $49,319 #36 · $57,613 #335 · $67,436 #25 · $61,457 #64 · $55,776 #26 · $55,666 #319 · $62,960 #124 · $45,060 #594 · $44,295 #88 · $50,331 #28 · $47,971 #288 · $44,922 #13 · $78,395 #1086 · $31,899 #604 · $50,022 #33 · $82,055 #1189 · $49,817 #325 · $37,426 #624 · $40,054 #881 · $54,086 #1201 · $41,291 #9 · $66,892 #755 · $46,606 #75 · $74,828 #245 · $64,860 #394 · $47,572 #1–#25: median $72,256 #26–#50: median $59,512 #51–#100: median $55,384 #101–#250: median $53,174 #251–#750: median $49,998 #751–#1259: median $50,045
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
Regional & Ethnic Studies 403 4,970 32% / 68% 5% $56,431
American Studies 109 581 37% / 63% 1% $63,367
Ethnic Studies 94 519 19% / 81% 2% $49,209
Global South Studies 1 384 51% / 49% 21% $65,279
Area Studies 30 300 27% / 73% 2% $60,989
East Asian Studies 56 235 37% / 63% 17% $61,232
African American Studies 75 221 36% / 64% 0% $51,714
Asian Studies 62 218 37% / 63% 8% $57,045
Deaf Studies 11 176 14% / 86% 1% $47,396
African-American/Black Studies 43 126 29% / 71% 1% $49,126
Asian Studies/Civilization 29 119 31% / 69% 3% $53,064
Latin American Studies 76 115 27% / 73% 7% $56,680
Africana Studies 23 106 29% / 71% 3% $46,433
Global Cultures 1 91 37% / 63% 33% $55,604
American Indian/Native American Studies 16 78 32% / 68% 3% $48,879
African Studies 30 70 30% / 70% 1% $74,468
Near and Middle Eastern Studies 23 70 33% / 67% 4% $63,155
Chicana and Chicano Studies 3 58 41% / 59% 0% $46,731
Asian American Studies 16 54 39% / 61% 4% $48,287
French Studies 18 49 24% / 76% 2% $66,494
Native American Studies 15 49 31% / 69% 0% $48,579
Latin American and Latino Studies 2 49 18% / 82% 0% $47,201
Chicana/Chicano Studies 1 48 19% / 81% 0% $49,998
Children and Youth Studies 1 43 5% / 95% 5% $46,606
Hispanic Studies 8 42 31% / 69% 5% $59,420
East Asian Languages and Cultures 3 42 43% / 57% 5% $47,093
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies 2 37 24% / 76% 3% $50,045
Latin American and Caribbean Studies 18 36 33% / 67% 6% $66,659
Russian Studies 25 34 41% / 59% 3% $57,848
European Studies 20 34 21% / 79% 3% $65,206
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 8 32 34% / 66% 6% $50,530
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 5 32 16% / 84% 9% $47,798
American Ethnic Studies 1 31 39% / 61% 3% $53,064
Chicano and Latino Studies 3 30 43% / 57% 0% $48,704
Jewish Studies 15 29 34% / 66% 0% $71,213
American Indian Studies 6 29 24% / 76% 0% $52,671
Chicana/o Studies 2 29 34% / 66% 0% $42,689
Italian Studies 18 26 23% / 77% 4% $62,387
Japanese Studies 16 26 42% / 58% 15% $51,859
Chinese Studies 16 25 32% / 68% 4% $74,828
Black Studies 4 24 29% / 71% 4% $40,631
German Studies 11 23 65% / 35% 4% $62,055
African and African American Studies 6 23 39% / 61% 0% $50,861
Asian Humanities 1 22 55% / 45% 45% $59,266
Hawaiian Studies 1 21 33% / 67% 0% $56,428
Chicano Latino Studies 1 20 40% / 60% 5% $53,641
Ethnicity, Race, and Migration 1 20 20% / 80% 0%
Spanish and Iberian Studies 4 19 16% / 84% 0% $57,588
Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity 1 19 11% / 89% 5%
Chicano/Latino Studies 3 18 28% / 72% 0% $44,866
African-American Studies 1 18 11% / 89% 0%
Lakota Studies 1 18 39% / 61% 0%
Afro-American Studies 2 17 41% / 59% 0% $59,169
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies 1 17 0% / 100% 6%
Chicano and Chicana Studies 1 17 24% / 76% 0% $51,482
Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies 6 16 6% / 94% 0%
Comparative Ethnic Studies 1 16 0% / 100% 0% $54,089
South Asian Studies 4 14 29% / 71% 14% $55,732
African American and African Studies 2 14 29% / 71% 0% $53,066
East Asian Languages 2 13 23% / 77% 15%
Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies 1 12 0% / 100% 0%
Russian and Eastern European Studies 3 11 36% / 64% 0% $47,287
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 1 11 45% / 55% 27% $86,892
Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 1 11 27% / 73% 0% $50,861
Mexican American Studies 3 10 10% / 90% 0% $45,289
African and African-American Studies 2 10 20% / 80% 0% $69,058
American Culture Studies 1 10 30% / 70% 0%
Scandinavian Studies 6 9 33% / 67% 0% $61,766
French and Francophone Studies 4 9 33% / 67% 0% $60,558
Chicano Studies 1 9 22% / 78% 0% $47,160
La Raza Studies 1 9 33% / 67% 0% $54,089
Mexican American and Latina/o Studies 1 9 11% / 89% 0% $56,909
Middle Eastern Studies 14 8 88% / 12% 0%
American Culture 1 8 62% / 38% 0% $79,644
East Asian Cultures 1 8 50% / 50% 12%
Germanic Studies 2 7 29% / 71% 0% $59,512
Chicanx Studies 1 7 57% / 43% 0%
Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 7 14% / 86% 0%
Asian-American Studies 3 6 33% / 67% 17% $47,666
Middle East Studies 2 6 33% / 67% 17% $66,217
Portuguese and Brazilian Studies 2 6 17% / 83% 0% $59,266
African, African American, and Diaspora Studies 1 6 33% / 67% 17% $52,138
American and Ethnic Studies 1 6 50% / 50% 0%
Folklore Studies 2 5 20% / 80% 0% $45,324
Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies 2 5 40% / 60% 40%
African American and African Diaspora Studies 1 5 40% / 60% 0%
Afroamerican and African Studies 1 5 60% / 40% 0% $63,136
Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0%
Latina/Latino Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0%
Regional Studies (US, Canadian, Foreign) 1 5 40% / 60% 0%
American/United States Studies/Civilization 3 4 25% / 75% 0%
Comparative Group Studies 1 4 0% / 100% 0%
Latina and Latino Studies 1 4 50% / 50% 25%
Russian and East European Studies 1 4 50% / 50% 25%
Southwest Studies 1 4 25% / 75% 0%
Near Eastern Studies 3 3 0% / 100% 0% $75,505
Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 2 3 0% / 100% 0% $55,941
African American and Diaspora Studies 1 3 67% / 33% 0%
Alaska Native Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0%
Central and Eastern European Studies 1 3 67% / 33% 0%
Chicanx/Latinx Studies 1 3 67% / 33% 0%
Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 0%
Iberian and Latin American Cultures 1 3 33% / 67% 0%
Latino and Caribbean Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $31,899
Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity 1 3 67% / 33% 0%
South and Southeast Asian Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $82,157
African and African Diaspora Studies 2 2 0% / 100% 0% $55,384
Africana World Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0%
American Studies and Ethnicity 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $59,177
Asian and Pacific Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 50%
Chicano and Latin American Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0%
Dine Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0%
Ethnic and Racial Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0%
Latin American and Latinx Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0%
Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0%
Latina/o Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $63,136
Near East Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0%
Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $67,436
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies 1 2 100% / 0% 0% $85,595
African and Middle Eastern Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $59,266
American Indian and Indigenous Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Asia Pacific Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 100%
Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Black Diaspora and African American Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $52,918
Black and Latino Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%
Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%
European Studies/Civilization 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Gay/Lesbian Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%
Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Latino and Latina Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $85,595
Modern Middle Eastern Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Race and Ethnic Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Regional Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Slavic Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 100% $63,729
Ural-Altaic and Central Asian Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%