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Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools

2023 Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools

188 Colleges
$42,092 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Sociology Master'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.

The Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 188 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs 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 Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for sociology majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Sociology

Our analysis found Teachers College at Columbia University to be the best school for sociology students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#2

Duke University

Durham, NC

The excellent master’s degree programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in the United States. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at The Graduate Center, CUNY helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in the United States. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.

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#4

Rice University

Houston, TX

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rice University is a great place for sociology students working on their master’s degree. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

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#5

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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#6

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. 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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#7

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Yale University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

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#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

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#9

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree sociology programs. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

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#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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#11

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #11, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students working on their master’s degree. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

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#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

With a ranking of #12, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students working on their master’s degree. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

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#13

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #13 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

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With a ranking of #14, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students working on their master’s degree. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.

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#15

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.

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Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree sociology programs. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

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North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#19

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #20 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#21

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine.

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#23

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for sociology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #24 on this year’s Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools list. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo.

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University of California - Los Angeles came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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Rest of the Top Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools

#26

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Sociology students that almost earned our Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
29 Emory University Atlanta, GA
30 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
31 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
32 New York University New York, NY
33 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
34 Iowa State University Ames, IA
35 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
36 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
37 Illinois State University Normal, IL

Sociology by Region

View the Best Sociology Master'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

Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

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