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Area Studies at University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
35 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
38
Optimistic
35
Base Case
31
Pessimistic
Earnings $30,897/yr (-13% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (50% exposed)
Job Market Very Small (1,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Area Studies graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $354K $293K $227K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 6.2x 5.2x 4.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 2.0x 1.6x 1.3x
Viable Career Paths 1 of 1 1 of 1 1 of 1
DegreeWorth Score 38 35 31

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$56,948
Out-of-state: $180,056

Career Paths

Where Area Studies graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 1,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary $84,290 1,100 +2.4% 50%

Compare & Explore

Area Studies at Other Schools

Yale University ($55,618) Nevada State University ($54,607) William & Mary ($53,779) University of California-Berkeley ($50,728) Miami University-Oxford ($50,637) Amherst College ($49,149) University of Maryland Global Campus ($48,650) Dartmouth College ($48,565)

Other Majors at University of California-Irvine

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($87,715) Computer Science ($82,161) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($80,412) Computer Engineering ($79,812) Civil Engineering ($73,835) Management Information Systems and Services ($68,786) Mechanical Engineering ($67,633) Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering ($67,425)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Area Studies at University of California-Irvine?
This program scores 35/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 38 (optimistic) to 31 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Area Studies career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Area Studies graduates retain 1 of 1 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $226,748 (pessimistic) to $354,200 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Area Studies graduates?
The career paths mapped to Area Studies have roughly 1,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very small job market.
Is Area Studies at University of California-Irvine worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 5.2x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 4.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.