Area Studies graduates from University of California-Los Angeles earn $71,833 median salary, below the national average for this program.
Area Studies at University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California • Master's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Area Studies at University of California-Los Angeles
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for University of California-Los Angeles and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Area Studies at the master's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 28 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at University of California-Los Angeles, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $71,833 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $84,562 across all institutions offering Area Studies, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at University of California-Los Angeles, the mean median-earnings figure is $94,728, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. Median federal debt is not separately reported for this program at this school. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Area Studies at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | $116,125 | - |
| Harvard University | $115,583 | - |
| Georgetown University | $91,661 | $76,142 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $88,197 | $48,911 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $81,697 | $50,000 |
| George Washington University | $74,265 | - |
| University of California-Los Angeles (this school) | $71,833 | - |
| New York University | $71,404 | $34,157 |
| University of Chicago | $70,631 | $62,295 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $64,228 | - |
Other Programs at University of California-Los Angeles
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $228,705 | $13,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $223,358 | $97,335 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $216,722 | $15,156 |
| Physics | $178,137 | - |
| Law | $177,968 | $135,373 |
| Engineering, General | $177,858 | - |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $174,798 | $40,304 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $151,186 | - |
| Materials Engineering | $146,629 | - |
| Medicine | $143,434 | $163,032 |
View all 100 programs at University of California-Los Angeles →
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.