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Best Urban Studies Schools in California

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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 fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Stanford University

The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best urban studies schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college 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

The excellent programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best urban studies schools in California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Urban Studies at University of Southern California Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for urban studies students. 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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great place for urban studies students. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Urban Studies at San Jose State University

#6

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Urban Studies Schools in California list. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Urban Studies at Loyola Marymount University

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Urban Studies Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very 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.

Read full report on Urban Studies at San Francisco State University

University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best urban studies programs. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

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

Full Urban Studies at University of California - Irvine Report

#9

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

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

Read More…

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

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

Read More…

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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