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2024 Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

13 Colleges in California
1,510 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,988 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in international studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #69 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,510 bachelor's degrees in international studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great International Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of international studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality international studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

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.

Other Factors We Consider

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 international studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank International Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More International Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college 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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study International Studies in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in international studies.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in International Studies

1
128 Annual Graduates
$15,636 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in international studies. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Berkeley

2
585 Annual Graduates
$41,542 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

University of California - San Diego is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in international studies. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

International Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - San Diego receive an earnings boost of approximately $8,554 above the typical income of international studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - San Diego

3
290 Annual Graduates
$35,213 Median Starting Salary
$14,792 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in international studies. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara make $2,225 more than the average international studies graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
4 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in international studies. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Southern California

5
42 Annual Graduates
$43,229 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles make $10,241 more than the average international studies graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Los Angeles

6
172 Annual Graduates
$32,752 Median Starting Salary
$15,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the international studies program report average early career earnings of $32,752.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Irvine

7
46 Annual Graduates
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from Pepperdine University

8
44 Annual Graduates
$28,381 Median Starting Salary
$15,454 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, international studies bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $28,381 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from California State University - Long Beach

9
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from San Jose State University

10
8 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from San Diego State University

Best International Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 74
Oregon 185 128
Nevada 129 0
Hawaii 112 17
Alaska 75 8

View All Rankings >

International Studies is one of 51 different types of Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies programs to choose from.

International Studies Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
International/Globalization Studies 1,510

Majors Similar to International Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cognitive Science 1,740
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 1,219
Nutrition Science 1,109
Human Biology 609
Mathematics & Computer Science 459
Behavioral Science 362
Interdisciplinary Studies 173
Natural Sciences 137
Gerontology 105
Marine Science 94

Notes and References

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