ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Social Studies Education Schools in the Southeast Region

22 Colleges in the United States
125 Social Studies Education Degrees Awarded
$49,927 Avg Early-Career Salary

Social Studies Education degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 64 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for social studies education students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/social-studies-education/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 13.13), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "History (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "History (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "History (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "History (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "History (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "History (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 1 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 1
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 1 offers with relevance >= 0.8

Best Schools for Social Studies Education in the Southeast Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social studies education degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Social Studies Education

1

University Of Georgia tops our 2026 ranking of the best social studies education schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Athens. Roughly 90% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Georgia awarded about 41 social studies education degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, social studies education degree recipients from University Of Georgia generally make around $61,081. Students borrow a median of $20,750 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in social studies education from University Of Georgia

2

University Of Mississippi Main Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best social studies education schools. University Of Mississippi Main Campus is a very large public school located in the town of University. Roughly 72% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 18 social studies education degrees were awarded at University Of Mississippi Main Campus in the most recent year. Students who receive their social studies education degree from University Of Mississippi Main Campus earn around $39,985 in the first couple years of their career. University Of Mississippi Main Campus graduates carry a median of $21,000 in student loans. Read more about the social studies education program at University Of Mississippi Main Campus

3

Students looking for a strong social studies education program will find one at East Carolina University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public university. About 63% of students finish within six years. East Carolina University awarded about 19 social studies education degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their social studies education degree from East Carolina University earn around $48,318 in the first couple years of their career. East Carolina University graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Read more about the social studies education program at East Carolina University

4

University Of Kentucky is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in social studies education, ranking #4. Located in the city of Lexington, University Of Kentucky is a very large public university. Roughly 71% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Kentucky awarded about 15 social studies education degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their social studies education degree from University Of Kentucky earn around $42,057 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $24,002 to complete this degree. Read more about the social studies education program at University Of Kentucky

5

Georgia State University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best social studies education schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Atlanta. The six-year graduation rate is 53%. There were roughly 17 social studies education students who graduated with this degree at Georgia State University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the social studies education program make about $57,563 in their early career. Georgia State University graduates carry a median of $28,687 in student loans. More information about a degree in social studies education from Georgia State University

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University earned the #6 position for social studies education this year. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Lynchburg. About 67% of students finish within six years. About 15 social studies education degrees were awarded at Liberty University in the most recent year. Students who receive their social studies education degree from Liberty University earn around $50,560 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,414. Read more about the social studies education program at Liberty University

ADBLOCK #173
View All Social Studies Education Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 64 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options