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Most Popular Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

53 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 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.

The Most Popular Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 53 schools in California to see which master's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Social Sciences program at each school on the list.

Check out the social sciences master's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the most popular school for social sciences students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

About 52% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 48% are male.

Full Social Sciences at University of Southern California Report

Out of the 53 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Naval Postgraduate School landed the # 2 spot on the list. Naval Postgraduate School is a small public school located in the suburb of Monterey.

Of the 193 students majoring in social sciences at Naval Postgraduate School, 88% are male and 12% are female.

Full Social Sciences at Naval Postgraduate School Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Of the 149 students majoring in social sciences at UCSD, 59% are male and 41% are female.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - San Diego Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 57% of the students majoring in social sciences at the school are women while 43% are male.

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#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

The in-demand master’s degree programs at San Diego State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular social sciences schools in California. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

Of the 84 students majoring in social sciences at SDSU, 60% are male and 40% are female.

Read full report on Social Sciences at San Diego State University

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree social sciences programs. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 81 students majoring in social sciences at UC Irvine, 36% are male and 64% are female.

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#7

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Women make up 61% of the social sciences majors at the school.

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University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

Of the 68 students majoring in social sciences at UC Santa Cruz, 44% are male and 56% are female.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

University of California - Berkeley ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 60 students majoring in social sciences at UC Berkeley, 43% are male and 57% are female.

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

Azusa Pacific University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 53% of the social sciences majors at the school.

Full Social Sciences at Azusa Pacific University Report

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 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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