2025 Best Philosophy Schools in California
19
Colleges in California
1,632
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.
College Factual reviewed 19 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of philosophy. Combined, these schools handed out 1,632 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
Every student pursuing a degree in philosophy needs to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 30 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Southern California
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
129
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in philosophy. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 129 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
91
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
It's 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 midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 91 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
115
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Any student who is interested in philosophy needs to take a look at University of California - Santa Barbara. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were approximately 115 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
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
60
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were approximately 60 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Davis
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
53
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 53 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
6th
Most Popular In CA
41
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 41 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - Irvine
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
17th
Most Popular In CA
36
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 25th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 36 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in philosophy from San Diego State University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In CA
38
Philosophy Degrees Awarded
UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were about 38 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from University of California - San Diego
Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were roughly 24 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in philosophy from Chapman University
