by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for philosophy students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 99 master's degrees in philosophy during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The philosophy master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality philosophy program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree 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.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for philosophy students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Philosophy Master's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for philosophy students seeking a a master's degree.
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in philosophy has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in philosophy. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of California - Berkeley
It is hard to beat University of California - Davis if you want to pursue a master's degree in philosophy. UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of California - Davis
Biola University is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in philosophy. Biola is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of La Mirada.More information about a master’s in philosophy from Biola University
It's difficult to beat University of California - Riverside if you wish to pursue a master's degree in philosophy. UCR is a very large public university located in the large city of Riverside.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of California - Riverside
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy from San Francisco State University
Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy from California State University - Los Angeles
Explore all the Best Philosophy Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 183 | 5 |
| Oregon | 158 | 5 |
| Nevada | 105 | 3 |
| Hawaii | 85 | 1 |
One of 3 majors within the Philosophy & Religious Studies area of study, Philosophy has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 94 |
| Other Philosophy | 5 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Other Philosophy & Religious Studies | 76 |
| Religious Studies | 66 |
| General Philosophy & Religious Studies | 1 |
