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Social Sciences Doctor's Degree

Social Sciences Doctor’s Degrees

There are 1,552 schools in the United States where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Social Sciences. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were men, and about22% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 41.4% of Social Sciences graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Social Sciences Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 185,019 people earned theirSocial Sciences majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Social Sciences at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 246
Associate’s Degree 22,814
Bachelor’s Degree 134,637
Master’s Degree 23,444
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 3,734

Earnings of Social Sciences Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

Federal data tracks the median salary for graduates with adoctor’s degree in Social Sciences of $55,597 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $42,225
4 years $55,597
5 years $64,933

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for Social Sciences students with their doctor’s degree.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with male students. About 51.7% of graduates in this field are men.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 1,908
Women 1,785
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

The racial-ethnic distribution of Social Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 1,359 36.8%
Asian 161 4.4%
Hispanic or Latino 220 6.0%
Black or African American 173 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 10 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3 0.1%
Two or More Races 88 2.4%
Race Unknown 150 4.1%
International Students 1,529 41.4%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 41.4% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 1,707 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Social Sciences. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Social Sciences students seeking a doctor's degree is University of California-Los Angeles. This school awarded 2,753 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 2,074 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Santa Barbara comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,927 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,818 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Berkeley comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,725 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Wisconsin-Madison comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,706 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#7

New York University

New York, NY

New York University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,658 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Irvine comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,628 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#9

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,577 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Columbia University in the City of New York is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,557 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#11

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,554 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#12

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,388 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,364 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#14

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,307 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Maryland-College Park comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,295 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of South Florida comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,295 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Davis comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,264 doctor's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#18

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,240 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#19

American University

Washington, DC

American University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,238 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,211 people received their doctor's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Social Sciences Concentrations

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Economics 45,628
Political Science and Government 44,942
Sociology 31,380
Social Sciences, General 17,510
International Relations and National Security Studies 13,035

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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