by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 47 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for sociology students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 8,090 bachelor's degrees in sociology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of sociology for getting your bachelor'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for sociology students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology.
It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program earn about $34,121 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in sociology. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $5,509 more than the standard sociology graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Berkeley
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in sociology needs to check out Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Stanford University
University of California - Santa Barbara is a good choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career wages of $34,372.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,137.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Davis
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.
Soon after graduating, sociology bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $34,050 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Irvine
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program make an average of $36,464 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - San Diego
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $28,495 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program earn around $29,367 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Riverside
USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
After graduating, sociology bachelor's recipients usually make around $35,580 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Southern CaliforniaThese are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 12 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 13 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 14 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 15 | California State University - East Bay | Hayward, CA |
Explore all the Best Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 226 | 639 |
| Oregon | 185 | 319 |
| Nevada | 129 | 104 |
| Hawaii | 112 | 93 |
| Alaska | 75 | 5 |
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Sociology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Sociology | 8,090 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 6,016 |
| Political Science & Government | 5,663 |
| Anthropology | 1,513 |
| International Relations & National Security | 736 |
| General Social Sciences | 525 |
| Geography & Cartography | 506 |
| Other Social Sciences | 320 |
| Urban Studies | 217 |
| Archeology | 15 |
