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Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California

15 Colleges
$27,456 Avg Salary
$14,718 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School for You

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities is the #32 most popular major in California with 121 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 15 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities program at each school on the list.

Check out the liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

#1

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Carpinteria, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Pacifica Graduate Institute the most popular school in California for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the rural area of Carpinteria, Pacifica Graduate Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Pacifica Graduate Institute Report

Our 2023 rankings named Saint Mary’s College of California the most popular school in California for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Saint Mary’s College of California

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Northridge is a great place for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

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The excellent programs at California State University - Dominguez Hills helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in California. Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at San Diego State University

#5

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Stanford University is a great place for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

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California State University - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California ranking. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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#8

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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Dominican University of California ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California list. DUofC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Rafael.

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#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at San Francisco State University

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 0
Oregon 23
Nevada 0
Alaska 7

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 2,680

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 18,379
Theology & Religious Vocations 17,287
English Language & Literature 9,566
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 4,163
Philosophy & Religious Studies 3,136

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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