2024 Best Philosophy Schools in California
15
Colleges in California
1,814
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in
philosophy, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #86 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Philosophy Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,814 degrees in philosophy to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Philosophy School
The philosophy program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Philosophy rankings. We derive our Best Overall Philosophy School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Philosophy Degree Level
The philosophy 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 Philosophy Schools in California.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Philosophy in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the philosophy degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Philosophy
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In CA
32
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in philosophy needs to check out University of Southern California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 32 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Southern California
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
58
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat University of California - Davis if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were about 58 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Davis
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
106
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 106 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
144
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in philosophy needs to look into University of California - Santa Barbara. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 144 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Santa Barbara
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
59
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 59 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Riverside
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
67
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were roughly 67 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Santa Cruz
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
28th
Most Popular In CA
Chapman is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were roughly 16 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from Chapman University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
31st
Most Popular In CA
Located in the large suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 58th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 14 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Biola in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from Biola University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
56
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
SFSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #204 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were about 56 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
29th
Most Popular In CA
Fresno State is a very large public university located in the large city of Fresno. This university ranks 74th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 15 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from California State University - Fresno
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