2023 Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Sociology Doctor's Degree School for You
Sociology is the #27 most popular major in the country with 38,475 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 113 schools in the United States to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for sociology majors pursuing a doctor's degree.
Top 15% Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Princeton University to be the best school for sociology students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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Out of the 113 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 2 spot on the list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
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Out of the 113 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rice University is a great place for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven.
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Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
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Stanford University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Northwestern University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
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University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
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University of Notre Dame landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree sociology programs. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
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With a ranking of #11, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #12, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
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Harvard University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.
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University of Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree sociology programs. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
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Here are some additional great schools for Sociology students that almost earned our Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 18 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 19 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 20 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 21 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 22 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
Sociology by Region
View the Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Sociology Rankings
Sociology Related Rankings by Major
Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
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 Kontos.
More about our data sources and methodologies.