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Area Studies at Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
38 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
41
Optimistic
38
Base Case
32
Pessimistic
Earnings $43,231/yr (21% 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 $759K $488K $317K
Earnings Multiple 3.0x 1.9x 1.2x
Viable Career Paths 1 of 1 1 of 1 1 of 1
DegreeWorth Score 41 38 32

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition
$257,280
Median Debt at Graduation
$9,600
2.7 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$68,057
57% growth from Year 1

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 Wellesley College

Computer and Information Sciences, General ($100,644) Economics ($86,367) Political Science and Government ($50,214) Neurobiology and Neurosciences ($44,687) Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies ($43,926) English Language and Literature, General ($38,376) Natural Resources Conservation and Research ($37,724) Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($36,776)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Area Studies at Wellesley College?
This program scores 38/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 41 (optimistic) to 32 (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 $317,264 (pessimistic) to $759,136 (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 Wellesley College worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 1.9x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 1.2x. 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.