by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for social sciences students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,775 master's degrees in social sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of social sciences for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social sciences students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social sciences.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social sciences needs to look into Stanford University. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Stanford University
University of California - Berkeley is a great decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in social sciences. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Los Angeles is a wonderful option for students pursuing a master's degree in social sciences. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Irvine is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Irvine
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Southern California
UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Davis
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from California State University - Long Beach
Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of San Francisco
Explore all the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 31 | 83 |
| Oregon | 29 | 100 |
| Hawaii | 27 | 47 |
| Nevada | 27 | 46 |
| Alaska | 21 | 4 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 574 |
| International Relations & National Security | 438 |
| Geography & Cartography | 162 |
| Sociology | 152 |
| Political Science & Government | 117 |
| Anthropology | 98 |
| Urban Studies | 45 |
| General Social Sciences | 41 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 29 |
| Other Social Sciences | 20 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Journalism | 1,236 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 1,179 |
| English Language & Literature | 895 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 332 |
| History | 239 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 238 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 215 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 156 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 110 |
