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Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California

10 Colleges
$62,624 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree School for You

Social Sciences is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 2,501 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for social sciences majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top 10 Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for social sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Full Social Sciences at Stanford University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Social Sciences at University of Southern California Report

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree social sciences programs. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Davis Report

With a ranking of #8, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

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University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree social sciences programs. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Riverside Report

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 147
Oregon 280
Nevada 63
Hawaii 63
Alaska 7

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Political Science & Government 2,664
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907
Anthropology 1,446
Criminology 936
General Social Sciences 745
Other Social Sciences 532
Urban Studies 432
Archeology 66
Demography & Population Studies 66

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 199,724
Psychology 42,013
Communication & Journalism 12,242
Library Science 5,929
History 4,391

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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