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Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

38 Colleges
$53,732 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Sciences Master'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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in California to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs 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 Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the social sciences master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Social Sciences Master'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 master’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Stanford University

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

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - San Diego helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in California. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

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Out of the 38 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 5 spot on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Social Sciences at University of Southern California Report

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree social sciences programs. 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

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Middlebury Institute is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Monterey.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

Azusa Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Azusa Pacific University

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 25 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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