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Social Sciences Master's Degree

Social Sciences Master’s Degrees

A master’s degree in Social Sciences is offered at 1,552 colleges in the United States, where you can earn amaster’s degree in Social Sciences. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about29% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 32.3% of Social Sciences graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Social Sciences Majors

In the most recent reporting year, 185,019 students 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 (this page) 23,444
Doctor’s Degree 3,734

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

The U.S. Department of Education reports a median salary for graduates with amaster’s degree in Social Sciences of $55,597 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

A lot of factors can contribute to this number, such as the location of your workplace and the availability of other perks and bonuses.

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)

The data on debt ranges for Social Sciences majors who have their master’s degree is not currently available.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with female students. About 53.0% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 8,683
Women 9,773
Gender Diversity of Master's Degrees in Social Sciences

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

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 7,188 38.9%
Asian 1,004 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1,934 10.5%
Black or African American 1,229 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 38 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 23 0.1%
Two or More Races 586 3.2%
Race Unknown 492 2.7%
International Students 5,962 32.3%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Social Sciences Master's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 32.3% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

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

University of California-Los Angeles tops the list of the most popular schools in the U.S. for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 2,753 master's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master'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 master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2,074 people received their master'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 California-Santa Barbara comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,927 master'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.

#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,818 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Berkeley is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,725 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master'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 master's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,706 master'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.

#7

New York University

New York, NY

New York University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,658 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Irvine is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,628 people received their master'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.

#9

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,577 master's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master'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 master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,557 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#11

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,554 master's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to 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 master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,388 people received their master'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 Michigan-Ann Arbor is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,364 master's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#14

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,307 people received their master'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 Maryland-College Park is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,295 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of South Florida comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,295 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master'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 master's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,264 people received their master'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.

#18

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is a popular choice for Social Sciences majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,240 people received their master'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 comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Social Sciences. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,238 people received their master's degree in Social Sciences from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to 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 master's degrees in Social Sciences. This school awarded 1,211 master's degrees in Social Sciences in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Social Sciences here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Social Sciences Majors to Study

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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