Area Studies at University of Chicago

Chicago, IL · Master's Degree · about 18 graduates a year

$38,008
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$70,631
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$68,936
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#9 of 10
Rank by pay
#6 of 10
Rank, wage-adjusted
$62,295
Median federal debt

University of Chicago graduates in area studies earn 2% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 88% of one year’s pay at that point.

How University of Chicago Compares for Area Studies

All 10 colleges reporting area studies earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Stanford University Stanford, CA$116,125$105,666#1—
2Harvard University Cambridge, MA$115,583$101,783#2—
3Georgetown University Washington, DC$91,661$80,319#4$64,851
4University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA$88,197$81,122#3$44,276
5Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$81,697$77,759#5$42,327
6George Washington University Washington, DC$74,265$65,075#10—
7University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA$71,833$65,363#9—
8New York University New York, NY$71,404$67,962#7$51,233
9University of Chicago Chicago, IL$70,631$69,394#6$38,008
10University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$64,228$67,721#8$35,862

Other Majors at University of Chicago by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Business Administration, Management and Operations$243,256$194,606#5 of 861
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods—$190,915—
Computer Programming$179,964$105,265—
Computer Science$169,765$135,918#18 of 48
Statistics$161,842$115,925#2 of 18
Criminal Justice and Corrections$128,337$100,258#3 of 115
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology$126,821$99,193#4 of 13
Public Policy Analysis$112,727$79,721#4 of 50
International Relations and National Security Studies$83,492$66,182#28 of 40
Social Sciences$74,690$53,788#2 of 9
Social Work$71,980$52,551#37 of 279
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$69,033$65,351#68 of 380
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$60,106$26,094#29 of 34
Theological and Ministerial Studies$53,796$34,557#74 of 94

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of Chicago area studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $38,008 one year after graduating and $70,631 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of Chicago rank for area studies?

Among 10 colleges reporting earnings for area studies graduates, University of Chicago ranks #9 by median pay four years after graduation, and #6 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is area studies at University of Chicago worth it?

Its graduates earn 2% more than the national median for area studies ($68,936), and the median federal debt at graduation is $62,295.

← All data for University of Chicago · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.