California Public Master's Area Studies Universities

By our composite ranking, the top choices include University of California-Irvine, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of California-Riverside. The full ranked list above shows each one's national rank, costs and admission data.

Costs vary widely by university: public institutions charge in-state residents far less than out-of-state and international students, and private universities set one price for everyone. Every listing above shows the published tuition and net price we hold from the federal College Scorecard, so you can compare like with like.

Yes, within the rules of the F-1 student visa: on-campus work during term, Curricular Practical Training tied to the program, and Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduating — with a longer extension for eligible STEM degrees.

Filtering by California keeps living costs, in-state tuition eligibility and part-time work in one place — the results above are limited to institutions located there.