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2024 Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California

20 Colleges in California
2,708 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$28,622 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ethnic Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #99 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,708 degrees in ethnic studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Ethnic Studies School

Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California The ethnic studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Ethnic Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Ethnic Studies 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 Ethnic Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Ethnic Studies
Master's Degrees in Ethnic Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Ethnic Studies

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 Ethnic Studies Schools in California list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Ethnic Studies in California

The schools below may not offer all types of ethnic studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Ethnic Studies

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$47,961 Median Starting Salary

Stanford University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in ethnic studies. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 31 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the ethnic studies degree program at Stanford University get $19,339 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
358 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$26,296 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in ethnic studies. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 358 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program make about $26,296 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$26,348 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a great option for students interested in a degree in ethnic studies. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 129 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients generally earn about $26,348 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Berkeley

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
207 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
8.2% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Davis is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in ethnic studies. UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 207 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients typically earn around $30,450 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Davis

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$28,971 Median Starting Salary

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 114 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the ethnic studies program report average early career earnings of $28,971.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48.99999999999999 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Those ethnic studies students who get their degree from San Diego State University earn $6,627 more than the average ethnic studies graduate.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from San Diego State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
5.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 35th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 128 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the ethnic studies program at San Francisco State University make $6,795 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from San Francisco State University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$29,282 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were approximately 166 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program earn about $29,282 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Santa Cruz

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
15.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 53 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients usually make an average of $26,415 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Irvine

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$30,287 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 36 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients usually make an average of $30,287 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - San Diego

Best Ethnic Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Ethnic Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 185
Oregon 266 111
Nevada 192 26
Hawaii 164 153
Alaska 119 11

View All Rankings >

Ethnic Studies is one of 2 different types of Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies programs to choose from.

Ethnic Studies Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Latino Studies 705
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, & Group Studies, Other 534
Women’s Studies 525
Ethnic Studies 329
African American Studies 240
Deaf Studies 181
Asian-American Studies 107
Native American Studies 49
Gay/Lesbian Studies 19
Comparative Group Studies 16

View All Ethnic Studies Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Ethnic Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Area Studies 880

View All Ethnic Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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