2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools
Finding the Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate School for You
With 205,984 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the #6 most popular major in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 218 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular graduate certificate programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Social Sciences program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Check out the social sciences graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Social Sciences
Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the most popular school for social sciences students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Of the 127 students majoring in social sciences at UChicago, 46% are male and 54% are female.
Full Social Sciences at University of Chicago Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public school with a very large student population.
Women make up 53% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oregon State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Oregon State is a very large public school located in the small city of Corvallis.
Women make up 52% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Harvard University is a great place for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Women make up 42% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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The in-demand graduate certificate programs at Johns Hopkins University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular social sciences schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 53% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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Naval Postgraduate School ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Monterey, Naval Postgraduate School is a public college with a small student population.
Of the 64 students majoring in social sciences at Naval Postgraduate School, 86% are male and 14% are female.
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Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for social sciences students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Of the 59 students majoring in social sciences at Columbia, 54% are male and 46% are female.
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Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for social sciences students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a very large student population.
Women make up 47% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #9, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
About 44% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 56% are male.
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University of Denver ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 52 students majoring in social sciences at DU, 65% are male and 35% are female.
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Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate social sciences programs. Located in the city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a very large student population.
Of the 26 students majoring in social sciences at VCU, 31% are male and 69% are female.
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University of Massachusetts - Boston came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Boston.
Women make up 88% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #11, Portland State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Portland, Portland State University is a public school with a very large student population.
About 42% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 58% are male.
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Texas Tech University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for social sciences students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Texas Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Lubbock.
Of the 25 students majoring in social sciences at Texas Tech, 44% are male and 56% are female.
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With a ranking of #15, George Washington University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
About 39% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 61% are male.
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With a ranking of #15, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Cal U is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of California.
About 65% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 35% are male.
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With a ranking of #17, Southern New Hampshire University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Women make up 50% of the social sciences majors at the school.
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Utah State University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate social sciences programs. USU is a very large public school located in the small city of Logan.
About 52% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 48% are male.
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With a ranking of #19, Syracuse University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Syracuse.
About 60% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 40% are male.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate social sciences programs. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
About 45% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 55% are male.
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Duke University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Of the 19 students majoring in social sciences at Duke, 26% are male and 74% are female.
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University of Maryland - Baltimore County landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate social sciences programs. Located in the large suburb of Baltimore, UMBC is a public school with a large student population.
About 67% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 33% are male.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Kentucky did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 22% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 78% are male.
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University of Rhode Island landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate social sciences programs. URI is a large public school located in the suburb of Kingston.
Of the 17 students majoring in social sciences at URI, 59% are male and 41% are female.
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New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Las Cruces, NMSU Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 17 students majoring in social sciences at NMSU Main Campus, 71% are male and 29% are female.
Full Social Sciences at New Mexico State University - Main Campus Report
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional popular schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 33 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 35 | St John’s University - New York | Queens, NY |
| 35 | University of Colorado at Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 35 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 38 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 38 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 38 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 38 | Saint Joseph’s University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 38 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 38 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 38 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
Social Sciences by Region
View the Most Popular Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Social Sciences Related Majors
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| 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 26 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.