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Best Urban Studies Schools in California

2023 Best Urban Studies Schools in California

12 Colleges
$39,188 Avg Salary
$15,733 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Urban Studies School for You

With 361 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, urban studies is the #149 most popular major in California.

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 Best Urban Studies 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 12 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Urban Studies Schools in California

Check out the urban studies programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Urban Studies Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for urban studies students. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

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Out of the 12 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, urban studies majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $15,000 in student debt.

Full Urban Studies at University of California - Berkeley Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Urban Studies Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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Out of the 12 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the # 4 spot on the list. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

While working on their degree, urban studies majors at UCSD accumulate an average of around $14,863 in student debt.

Read full report on Urban Studies at University of California - San Diego

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Urban Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Urban Studies at San Jose State University Report

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#6

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #6, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for urban studies students. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

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#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #7, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for urban studies students. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

Urban Studies majors at SFSU take out an average of $20,301 in student loans while working on their egree.

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University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Urban Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, urban studies majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $14,891 in student debt.

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#9

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for urban studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

Full Urban Studies at University of San Francisco Report

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#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for urban studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

Full Urban Studies at San Diego State University Report

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Best Urban Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Urban Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 37
Oregon 32
Nevada 35

One of 12 majors within the area of study, urban studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related 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

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 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 Andrew Bossi.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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