2023 Most Popular 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.
The Most Popular Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 121 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Sociology program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for sociology majors pursuing a doctor's degree.
Top 15% Most Popular Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Madison to be the most popular school for sociology students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
About 55% of the students majoring in sociology at the school are women while 45% are male.
Full Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Of the 17 students majoring in sociology at UChicago, 41% are male and 59% are female.
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The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at The Graduate Center, CUNY helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular sociology schools in the United States. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of New York.
Women make up 64% of the sociology majors at the school.
Full Sociology at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a very large student population.
About 62% of the students majoring in sociology at the school are women while 38% are male.
Full Sociology at Texas A&M University - College Station Report
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The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Cornell University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular sociology schools in the United States. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.
Women make up 46% of the sociology majors at the school.
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The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Indiana University - Bloomington helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular sociology schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 54% of the sociology majors at the school.
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New York University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Women make up 45% of the sociology majors at the school.
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Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree sociology programs. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.
Of the 11 students majoring in sociology at Ohio State, 45% are male and 55% are female.
Full Sociology at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report
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With a ranking of #7, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
Of the 11 students majoring in sociology at UC Berkeley, 82% are male and 18% are female.
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University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the large city of Irvine.
About 73% of the students majoring in sociology at the school are women while 27% are male.
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Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for sociology students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Of the 10 students majoring in sociology at Stanford, 30% are male and 70% are female.
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University of California - Los Angeles landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree sociology programs. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Women make up 40% of the sociology majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Arizona did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public college with a very large student population.
Of the 10 students majoring in sociology at University of Arizona, 50% are male and 50% are female.
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With a ranking of #11, Princeton University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
About 70% of the students majoring in sociology at the school are women while 30% are male.
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
Women make up 78% of the sociology majors at the school.
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Yale University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree sociology programs. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.
About 44% of the students majoring in sociology at the school are women while 56% are male.
Full Sociology at Yale University Report
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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 44% of the sociology majors at the school.
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Northwestern University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree sociology programs. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
Women make up 44% of the sociology majors at the school.
Full Sociology at Northwestern University Report
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With a ranking of #15, Howard University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for sociology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Washington, Howard is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Of the 9 students majoring in sociology at Howard, 33% are male and 67% are female.
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Here are some additional popular schools for Sociology students that almost earned our Most Popular Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 21 | Bowling Green State University - Main Campus | Bowling Green, OH |
| 21 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 21 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 21 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 21 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 21 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 21 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA |
| 21 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
Sociology by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
Sociology Related Majors
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 29 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 Kontos.
More about our data sources and methodologies.