2023 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in California
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The Most Popular Doctor's Degree 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 130 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 1,914 students in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at USC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in California. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 1,348 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
UCLA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Out of the 130 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 1,187 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 45% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Berkeley. During the 2019-2020 year, about 90% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,105 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 40% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Stanford. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 10% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. San Marcos, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 1,081 students in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
USAHS is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Read full report on University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Northcentral University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 780 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Northcentral University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in Davis, California, the large public school handed out 913 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UC Davis does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 52% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - San Diego landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. Located in La Jolla, California, the large public school handed out 718 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 45% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UCSD. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of California - San Francisco landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 716 students in 2020-2021.
Around 64% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UCSF does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 69% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of California - Irvine landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. University of California - Irvine is a large public school located in Irvine, California that handed out 710 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 49% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UC Irvine. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of the Pacific did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in Stockton, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 654 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Pacific does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #12, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Loma Linda, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 589 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Loma Linda University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 22% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pacific College of Health and Science landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 457 students in 2020-2021.
Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Pacific College San Diego. In fact, around 70% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Chapman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 361 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Chapman. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 51% took at least some of their classes online.
Western University of Health Sciences landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. Located in Pomona, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 806 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Western University of Health Sciences. During the 2019-2020 year, about 0% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in Riverside, California, the large public school awarded 325 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 45% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UCR. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Loyola Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 319 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
Loyola Marymount is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of San Diego landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. USD is located in San Diego, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 300 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at USD, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 24% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 287 students in 2020-2021.
Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UCSB. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
University of California - Hastings College of Law ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, the small public school awarded 284 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at UC Hastings are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Read full report on University of California - Hastings College of Law
Alliant International University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in San Diego, California, the small private for-profit school handed out 267 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 73% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Alliant are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
With a ranking of #22, Pepperdine University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 253 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Pepperdine are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Santa Clara University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Santa Clara, California, and it awarded 240 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that SCU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 10% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southwestern Law School ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Southwestern Law School is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 227 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
California Western School of Law did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. California Western is located in San Diego, California and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out California Western. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 27 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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