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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

$47,159
732
100–85%
$50,905
1,721
85–42%
$57,733
1,715
42–9%
$63,920
739
9–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$49,858
450
400–1170
$52,833
1,070
1170–1410
$58,945
1,065
1410–1510
$62,483
455
1510–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$44,272p10 $64,435p90 Art & Music STEM, Business & Military Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Top 61–100 Top 21–60 Top 20 Columbia College Chicago · $43,461 Cal Poly - Pomona · $48,993 Bates College · $60,532 Wesleyan University · $55,302 Denison University · $57,268 Hillsdale College · $48,140 Vassar College · $31,095 Colorado College · $49,134 University of Richmond · $70,318 Skidmore College · $51,432 Berea College · $51,133 Trinity University · $58,121 Pitzer College · $49,471 Morehouse College · $45,100 Bryn Mawr College · $48,523 Macalester College · $47,160 Reed College · $49,619 Trinity College (CT) · $69,743 Smith College · $49,530 Kenyon College · $49,688 Lafayette College · $67,962 Franklin and Marshall College · $58,480 Bucknell University · $70,066 Dickinson College · $56,030 Oberlin College · $48,235 Gettysburg College · $58,628 Muhlenberg College · $56,365 Mount Holyoke College · $52,166 Connecticut College · $59,570 Scripps College · $49,970 Claflin University · $41,279 St. Lawrence University · $52,187 Whitman College · $49,377 Furman University · $54,445 Union College · $57,644 Occidental College · $52,860 Austin College · $49,562 Kalamazoo College · $52,175 Providence College · $62,740 Rhodes College · $54,607 Lake Forest College · $51,262 Allegheny College · $52,009 University of the South · $54,884 Ohio Wesleyan University · $51,141 Carthage College · $54,436 Gallaudet University · $46,496 Albion College · $49,933 Goucher College · $47,008 Hobart William Smith Colleges · $57,954 Hope College · $49,405 North Central College · $48,493 Augustana College (IL) · $52,691 Knox College · $49,316 Saint Mary's College of California · $51,640 Beloit College · $48,471 University of Puget Sound · $33,436 St. Mary's College of Maryland · $51,302 Coe College · $53,101 Earlham College · $50,418 Gustavus Adolphus College · $54,167 Lipscomb University · $50,018 Lawrence University · $44,809 Augsburg University · $48,185 University of the Northwest (Willamette University) · $50,490 Lewis & Clark College · $51,401 Houghton University · $42,510 University of Redlands · $45,779 Randolph-Macon College · $49,469 Washington & Jefferson College · $52,691 Saint Michael's College · $48,716 Pacific Lutheran University · $46,562 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $61,162 Florida A&M University · $44,840 CUNY Hunter College · $52,104 San Diego State University · $39,529 Cal State Los Angeles · $48,354 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $50,163 University of South Florida · $48,981 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $52,393 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $48,049 Cal State Long Beach · $44,968 State University of New York at New Paltz · $48,464 Delaware State University · $45,050 CUNY Brooklyn College · $46,194 CUNY Queens College · $22,623 Cal State Fullerton · $48,324 University of Connecticut · $46,132 Florida International University · $21,331 University of South Carolina · $47,762 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice · $46,614 CUNY City College · $41,863 CUNY Lehman College · $52,219 Georgia State University · $43,575 University of Pittsburgh · $50,446 University of New Mexico · $46,406 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $50,225 Northeastern Illinois University · $64,863 Texas Southern University · $45,614 East Central University · $45,093 Fresno State · $44,365 University of Hawaii at Hilo · $56,975 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $46,547 University of Texas at Dallas · $57,113 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $45,597 Central Michigan University · $50,060 Oklahoma State University · $55,152 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $47,710 University at Albany · $48,646 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $58,608 SUNY Oneonta · $42,340 University at Buffalo · $54,274 Louisiana State University · $58,567 University of Alabama · $73,719 University of Delaware · $59,062 College of Charleston · $48,958 Wright State University · $51,924 University of Vermont · $49,429 Miami University - Ohio · $63,938 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $50,483 University of Colorado Denver · $49,066 University of Rhode Island · $47,102 Bemidji State University · $47,381 Cal State East Bay · $48,993 Oregon State University · $48,065 University of Louisville · $54,316 University of Mississippi · $52,084 Washington State University · $55,697 University of Houston · $53,869 University of Illinois Chicago · $48,157 Indiana University · $36,009 SUNY Brockport · $43,874 University of Minnesota - Morris · $45,631 Rowan University · $47,999 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $43,010 Rutgers University - Newark · $31,386 SUNY Old Westbury · $44,825 University of Missouri · $62,179 University of North Florida · $46,999 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $44,207 Chico State · $43,967 Rutgers University - Camden · $32,871 University of Massachusetts Boston · $44,889 Kennesaw State University · $51,766 University of Iowa · $44,710 Cal State Channel Islands · $45,408 Lincoln University · $45,540 Metropolitan State University of Denver · $50,641 Portland State University · $53,728 State University of New York at Oswego · $46,043 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $65,011 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $46,020 University of Toledo · $48,134 San Jose State University · $55,036 Temple University · $48,513 University of Central Oklahoma · $48,994 University of North Texas · $49,906 Bowling Green State University · $50,162 Cal Poly - Humboldt · $37,348 California State University, Monterey Bay · $46,163 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $46,920 Nevada State University · $63,661 Sonoma State University · $53,200 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $49,598 University of Utah · $52,737 University of California, Santa Cruz · $50,742 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $50,512 University of Nevada, Reno · $52,095 Michigan State University · $55,795 Wayne State University · $52,773 Boise State University · $48,093 Cal State Dominguez Hills · $43,351 Cal State San Bernardino · $44,272 Cal State Stanislaus · $46,412 Central Washington University · $45,325 Fort Lewis College · $41,801 Stockton University · $45,098 University of Arizona · $50,486 University of Cincinnati · $54,848 Western Kentucky University · $47,223 Metropolitan State University · $45,627 Ohio University · $53,098 Northern Michigan University · $45,052 Indiana University - South Bend · $45,354 University of California, Riverside · $47,334 University of Washington - Bothell · $58,019 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $47,744 University of Nebraska at Omaha · $51,827 University of Oregon · $39,240 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · $35,695 Arizona State University · $51,986 Cal State Northridge · $43,224 Towson University · $61,904 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $37,647 Westfield State University · $47,543 Cleveland State University · $46,764 George Mason University · $55,758 University of Northern Colorado · $45,816 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $52,064 Northern Arizona University · $45,622 University of Kentucky · $52,871 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $49,110 University of Texas at San Antonio · $49,875 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay · $47,356 Old Dominion University · $46,971 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $40,398 Pennsylvania State University - Brandywine · $53,075 Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg · $55,515 University of North Carolina at Pembroke · $43,848 East Carolina University · $47,911 Millersville University of Pennsylvania · $45,999 University of Kansas · $56,968 Virginia Commonwealth University · $51,249 San Francisco State University · $48,361 Utah State University · $53,207 University of Memphis · $54,225 Cal State Sacramento · $47,281 Western Washington University · $38,700 College of Staten Island CUNY · $50,860 Kansas State University · $55,451 University of Texas at El Paso · $43,709 University of Wyoming · $48,187 Cal State San Marcos · $46,513 University of Colorado Colorado Springs · $44,223 University of North Georgia · $48,263 University of California, Merced · $47,867 Northeastern State University · $46,579 Haskell Indian Nations University · $38,147 Oglala Lakota College · $45,857 Utah Valley University · $75,659 Loyola Marymount University · $47,588 Saint Olaf College · $47,329 Loyola University New Orleans · $48,955 Baylor University · $55,390 University of San Diego · $55,043 Fordham University · $69,282 College of Wooster · $46,464 University of San Francisco · $55,384 Wheaton College (IL) · $62,971 American University · $64,340 St. John Fisher University · $50,837 Brigham Young University · $78,249 Arcadia University · $47,457 Seton Hall University · $55,453 Pepperdine University · $53,069 Saint Louis University · $51,367 Loyola University Chicago · $58,571 Brigham Young University - Hawaii · $44,601 Marquette University · $57,713 Seattle University · $52,744 Siena College · $53,384 Saint Norbert College · $49,144 DePaul University · $52,868 Seattle Pacific University · $48,826 Howard University · $48,568 Syracuse University · $26,883 Hofstra University · $53,474 Stetson University · $49,088 Pace University · $55,697 Bradley University · $56,315 University of Denver · $55,389 Tulane University · $50,973 University of Miami · $54,142 Brandeis University · $60,368 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $58,481 University of Georgia · $64,054 University of Washington · $53,982 Pennsylvania State University · $69,714 University of California, Davis · $47,517 Ohio State University · $53,667 Clemson University · $57,761 University of California, Irvine · $52,117 Stony Brook University · $52,701 University of Colorado Boulder · $39,749 Florida State University · $49,985 Binghamton University · $49,552 University of California, Santa Barbara · $52,395 Santa Clara University · $66,440 Texas Christian University · $57,950 Wellesley College · $61,226 Davidson College · $61,642 Carleton College · $52,878 Hamilton College · $57,255 Colgate University · $60,788 College of the Holy Cross · $67,152 United States Naval Academy · $60,977 United States Military Academy · $59,147 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $61,530 University of Southern California · $54,518 Tufts University · $58,891 Emory University · $70,526 New York University · $57,370 Boston University · $54,796 Lehigh University · $69,321 Northeastern University · $57,399 Wake Forest University · $70,109 George Washington University · $80,285 University of Rochester · $57,686 Case Western Reserve University · $59,278 University of California, Berkeley · $63,857 UCLA · $53,926 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $61,822 University of Virginia · $57,939 Purdue University · $62,060 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $54,095 University of Florida · $50,524 University of Texas at Austin · $54,038 University of Maryland, College Park · $59,097 University of California, San Diego · $64,767 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $53,196 William & Mary · $75,115 Georgetown University · $87,148 Boston College · $64,241 Williams College · $84,804 Amherst College · $60,619 Pomona College · $63,436 Swarthmore College · $64,277 Bowdoin College · $74,347 Claremont McKenna College · $65,642 Barnard College · $60,632 Colby College · $63,156 Middlebury College · $59,326 Stanford University · $49,610 Princeton University · $65,289 Yale University · $72,586 Harvard University · $71,592 University of Pennsylvania · $67,843 Duke University · $67,566 Johns Hopkins University · $64,899 Cornell University · $77,623 Brown University · $55,469 Dartmouth · $72,481 Vanderbilt University · $66,816 Columbia University · $64,435 Rice University · $68,090 Northwestern University · $58,272 University of Chicago · $68,161 Washington University in St Louis · $36,038 University of Notre Dame · $60,747 Art & Music: mean $43,461 STEM, Business & Military: mean $48,993 Liberal Arts: mean $51,940 Public University: mean $48,728 Religious University: mean $54,460 Private University: mean $49,345 Top 61–100: mean $56,820 Top 21–60: mean $63,184 Top 20: mean $63,972 All colleges: p10 $44,272 All colleges: p90 $64,435
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Regional & Ethnic Studies 435 5,094 30% / 70% 5% $54,228 91%
American Studies 114 629 36% / 64% 2% $56,185 91%
Ethnic Studies 105 609 21% / 79% 1% $49,950 94%
Global South Studies 1 369 46% / 54% 18% $65,602 90%
Area Studies 33 286 27% / 73% 5% $56,271 91%
African American Studies 89 246 33% / 67% 0% $52,302 94%
Asian Studies 70 229 33% / 67% 10% $53,119 88%
East Asian Studies 60 224 36% / 64% 13% $55,481 90%
Deaf Studies 12 191 13% / 87% 1% $51,743 94%
African-American Studies 43 137 27% / 73% 1% $52,246 94%
Native American Studies 36 129 32% / 68% 1% $48,239 93%
Latin American Studies 84 120 35% / 65% 3% $54,636 90%
Asian Studies/Civilization 28 117 42% / 58% 5% $52,669 85%
Global Cultures 1 111 47% / 53% 36% $55,465 90%
Africana Studies 23 90 32% / 68% 3% $49,635 93%
Near and Middle Eastern Studies 27 58 48% / 52% 3% $57,673 90%
Asian American Studies 17 57 26% / 74% 0% $50,361 92%
Chicana and Chicano Studies 3 53 25% / 75% 0% $49,547 93%
African Studies 30 51 31% / 69% 0% $59,203 92%
Chicana/Chicano Studies 1 47 21% / 79% 0% $51,439 93%
French Studies 20 46 17% / 83% 2% $56,180 93%
Japanese Studies 17 42 43% / 57% 7% $56,557 90%
Spanish and Iberian Studies 6 42 36% / 64% 5% $61,183 94%
East Asian Languages and Cultures 3 42 33% / 67% 5% $49,204 82%
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies 2 40 18% / 82% 0% $57,972 94%
Russian Studies 29 39 28% / 72% 3% $56,873 89%
Latin American and Latino Studies 2 38 18% / 82% 0% $47,116 89%
Latin American and Caribbean Studies 20 36 31% / 69% 3% $58,556 86%
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 10 36 17% / 83% 3% $46,152 92%
Italian Studies 23 35 37% / 63% 0% $56,703 93%
Children and Youth Studies 1 35 0% / 100% 0% $46,211 93%
European Studies 22 34 41% / 59% 3% $56,883 90%
Hispanic Studies 8 29 31% / 69% 3% $62,485 91%
African and African American Studies 6 29 17% / 83% 14% $57,052 93%
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 5 29 10% / 90% 3% $55,049 98%
Regional Studies (US, Canadian, Foreign) 2 29 24% / 76% 0% $52,084
Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity 1 28 25% / 75% 0% $39,932 91%
Chinese Studies 19 25 24% / 76% 4% $54,536 95%
Jewish Studies 15 24 38% / 62% 0% $58,378 90%
Chicano/Latino Studies 3 23 13% / 87% 0% $51,326 96%
American Ethnic Studies 1 23 22% / 78% 4% $52,550 93%
Chicano and Latino Studies 3 22 5% / 95% 0% $48,574 93%
Chicano and Chicana Studies 1 22 27% / 73% 0% $52,458 93%
Black Studies 4 20 15% / 85% 0% $48,261 87%
Chicana/o Studies 2 20 25% / 75% 0% $45,790 93%
American Culture Studies 1 20 30% / 70% 0% $46,131 100%
Chicano Latino Studies 1 20 20% / 80% 0% $53,028 93%
African American and African Studies 2 19 32% / 68% 0% $52,594 91%
Afro-American Studies 2 19 26% / 74% 0% $54,996 95%
Ethnicity, Race, and Migration 1 18 44% / 56% 0% $61,945 89%
German Studies 15 17 35% / 65% 0% $57,791 87%
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 1 17 29% / 71% 12% $86,892 94%
Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies 1 17 6% / 94% 0% $24,984 100%
Scandinavian Studies 7 16 31% / 69% 0% $53,138 87%
American Indian Studies 6 16 19% / 81% 0% $48,991 90%
Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies 6 14 21% / 79% 0% $51,837
Asian Humanities 1 14 71% / 29% 43% $53,606 91%
Lakota Studies 1 14 36% / 64% 0% $45,857
Comparative Ethnic Studies 1 13 8% / 92% 8% $48,386 90%
La Raza Studies 1 13 0% / 100% 0% $48,386 90%
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies 1 12 0% / 100% 0% $60,706
Russian and Eastern European Studies 4 11 9% / 91% 0% $52,940 89%
East Asian Cultures 1 11 18% / 82% 9% $39,548 88%
Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies 2 10 20% / 80% 40% $44,963
French and Francophone Studies 4 9 11% / 89% 0% $54,877 90%
African and African-American Studies 2 9 22% / 78% 0% $46,404 97%
East Asian Languages 2 9 44% / 56% 22% $68,797
Chicanx Studies 1 8 50% / 50% 0% $45,408
Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies 1 8 12% / 88% 0% $53,171 88%
South Asian Studies 5 7 57% / 43% 14% $61,029 82%
Korean Studies 4 7 57% / 43% 0% $51,886
Asian-American Studies 3 7 43% / 57% 0% $48,833 94%
Folklore Studies 2 7 14% / 86% 0% $44,329 93%
African American and African Diaspora Studies 1 7 57% / 43% 0% $50,788 93%
Mexican American Studies 3 6 0% / 100% 0% $47,410 94%
Near Eastern Studies 3 6 50% / 50% 17% $67,733 83%
Germanic Studies 2 6 33% / 67% 0% $51,112 90%
American and Ethnic Studies 1 6 50% / 50% 0% $58,019 91%
Hawaiian Studies 1 6 50% / 50% 0% $57,864 96%
South and Southeast Asian Studies 1 6 0% / 100% 0% $81,218 95%
Southwest Studies 1 6 33% / 67% 0% $49,088
Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 1 6 17% / 83% 0% $50,822 89%
Middle Eastern Studies 14 5 80% / 20% 0% $55,642
Middle East Studies 2 5 0% / 100% 0% $66,128 90%
African, African American, and Diaspora Studies 1 5 0% / 100% 0% $49,556 100%
Afroamerican and African Studies 1 5 60% / 40% 0% $59,305 94%
Ethnic and Racial Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0% $50,483
Slavic Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0% $62,936 87%
Russian and Slavic Studies 7 4 25% / 75% 0% $59,949
Portuguese and Brazilian Studies 2 4 50% / 50% 0% $58,086 91%
Asia Pacific Studies 1 4 25% / 75% 25% $55,713
Latino and Latina Studies 1 4 50% / 50% 0% $65,482
Mexican American and Latina/o Studies 1 4 25% / 75% 25% $55,727 92%
Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 4 0% / 100% 0% $41,801
Pacific Area Studies 1 4 0% / 100% 0% $39,208
African American & Black Diaspora Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 33%
African American and Diaspora Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $67,360
American Studies and Ethnicity 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $59,029 100%
Chicano Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $48,570 93%
Chicano and Latin American Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 33% $43,794
Individualized Studies 1 3 67% / 33% 0% $63,938 89%
Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $49,775
Latina/Latino Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $51,183 100%
Middle East & North Africa Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 0%
Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $67,646
Russian and East European Studies 1 3 67% / 33% 0% $68,287
Ural-Altaic and Central Asian Studies 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $51,612
American/United States Studies/Civilization 3 2 100% / 0% 0% $51,203
Hispanic American Studies 2 2 0% / 100% 0% $44,882
American Culture 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $62,500 88%
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $48,242
Canadian Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0%
Central and Eastern European Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $56,832
Chicanx/Latinx Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $65,322
Latina and Latino Studies 1 2 100% / 0% 0% $57,722 100%
Latino and Caribbean Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $32,774 96%
Near East Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $61,771
Race and Ethnic Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $52,441 94%
Regional Studies 1 2 100% / 0% 0% $42,510
Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $63,938 89%
African and African Diaspora Studies 2 1 100% / 0% 0% $50,514 96%
Ethnic and Cultural Studies 2 1 0% / 100% 0% $58,985
Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $65,336
Asian and Pacific Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $48,171
Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $47,491 96%
Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $57,950
Comparative Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $24,850 100%
Iberian and Latin American Cultures 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $72,393
Latin American and Latinx Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $67,609
Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $48,107 97%
Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 100% $83,645 88%
Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $46,211
Russian/East European Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $49,429
Southeast Asian Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Tibetan Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $48,607