Area studies typically examine the development of a particular population or region. While other, similar interdisciplinary studies, such as gender, disability, and ethnic, may have some part in course discussions, these are not considered area studies.

Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansch: Svizra. Switzerland has some of the world renown universites like ETH in Zurich, EPFL in Lausanne, IHEID in Geneva, University of Lausanne or the University of St. Gallen. Keep in mind, it's much better to speak the local language, so if you can't speak either French, German or Italian, better go for a language course first.

A master’s program is a focused degree that requires about two years of classwork, research, and possibly a thesis paper to earn. This advanced program of study allows students to further specialize their schooling in an area that interests them.