Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$1,274 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,170 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Sciences Associate Degree School for You

Social Sciences is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 51,430 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 4th out of all the majors we track in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 5 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for social sciences majors pursuing a associate degree.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Social Sciences

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Santa Rosa Junior College the best value school in California for social sciences students working on their associate degree. SRJC is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa.

SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

SRJC also made our Best Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #2.

Full Social Sciences at Santa Rosa Junior College Report

#2

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Los Angeles College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California list. East Los Angeles College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Monterey Park.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year.

Full Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College Report

#3

American River College

Sacramento, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at American River College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value social sciences schools in California. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Social Sciences at American River College

#4

Mt. San Jacinto College

San Jacinto, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Mt. San Jacinto College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value social sciences schools in California. MSJC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Jacinto.

MSJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,406 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Social Sciences at Mt. San Jacinto College Report

#5

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Antelope Valley College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Antelope Valley College are $1,124 a year.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Antelope Valley College

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 3,812
Oregon 2,748
Hawaii 586
Nevada 925
Alaska 90

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415
Criminology 11,039
Geography & Cartography 8,526
Other Social Sciences 2,414
Urban Studies 1,507
Sociology & Anthropology 541
Archeology 339
Demography & Population Studies 88

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 5 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.