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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region

46 Colleges in the Southwest Region
14,741 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$35,797 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in social sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #5 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 46 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,741 degrees in social sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region The social sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Sciences rankings. For our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Sciences Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in the Southwest Region

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

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Social Sciences

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences needs to check out Rice University. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were roughly 266 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Rice University get $52,192 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Rice University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,140 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$46,580 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in social sciences needs to look into Texas A&M University - College Station. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the midsize city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were about 1140 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Texas A&M University - College Station earn $10,783 more than the standard social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,153 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$43,476 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in social sciences has to check out The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1153 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of around $7,679 over the typical income of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
9.0% Growth in Graduates

Southern Methodist University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 301 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Southern Methodist University earn a boost of approximately $6,544 over the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Southern Methodist University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.6% Growth in Graduates

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 244 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Texas Christian University earn a boost of around $15,159 above the average income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Texas Christian University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,021 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,199 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1021 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe get an earnings boost of around $5,402 over the typical income of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Arizona State University - Tempe

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
714 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,418 Median Starting Salary

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 714 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Arizona receive an earnings boost of about $6,621 above the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Arizona

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
397 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were about 397 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,295.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
502 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$30,444 Median Starting Salary

NAU is a very large public university located in the city of Flagstaff. This university ranks 5th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 502 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,444.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northern Arizona University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
231 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$28,446 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 231 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social sciences program earn about $28,446 for their early career.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Baylor University

Best Social Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best social sciences colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 38 3,317
Texas 38 8,778
New Mexico 38 813
Oklahoma 38 1,371

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 4,291
Economics 2,950
Sociology 2,832
Anthropology 1,085
Geography & Cartography 1,042
International Relations & National Security 770
General Social Sciences 720
Other Social Sciences 136
Urban Studies 50
Archeology 17

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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