2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
The Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 38 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Irvine the best value school in California for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Irvine are $13,356 per year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - East Bay. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Cal State East Bay are $8,429 a year.
Full Social Sciences at California State University - East Bay Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Fresno State are $8,087 per year.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at San Jose State are $9,286 per year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at San Jose State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master’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.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Berkeley are $14,160 a year.
UC Berkeley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
University of California - San Diego landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCSD are $13,564 a year.
UCSD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $8,410 per year.
Full Social Sciences at California State University - Fullerton Report
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCLA are $13,036 a year.
UCLA also made our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #4.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $11,629 per year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
Sac State graduate students pay an average of $8,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Sacramento
Best Value Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in California
Social Sciences Related Majors for Social Sciences
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| 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.
- 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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