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2024 Best Anthropology Schools in California

43 Colleges in California
2,822 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$27,082 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in anthropology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #77 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,822 degrees in anthropology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools in California Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Anthropology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Anthropology
Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology
Master's Degrees in Anthropology
Doctor's Degrees in Anthropology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Anthropology Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Anthropology in California

The schools below may not offer all types of anthropology 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 Anthropology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In CA

Stanford University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in anthropology. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 28 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
264 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$31,197 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in anthropology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 264 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Anthropology degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles earn a boost of approximately $4,115 over the average income of anthropology majors.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
7.5% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in anthropology. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 120 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program report average early career income of $28,620.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

University of California - San Diego is a good decision for students interested in a degree in anthropology. UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 91 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of California - San Diego make $2,661 more than the standard anthropology graduate.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37th Most Popular In CA

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 17 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Southern California

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,935 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very 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 157 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the anthropology program make around $28,935 in the first couple years of their career.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

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 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 89 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, anthropology degree recipients generally earn around $24,992 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
4.5% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 89 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $26,030.

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

9
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88th Most Popular In CA
66.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Claremont, Pomona is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pomona is a great college overall.

There were about 6 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Pomona in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Pomona College

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
9.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 129 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program report average early career income of $24,074.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Riverside

Best Anthropology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 232
Oregon 266 233
Nevada 192 118
Hawaii 164 61
Alaska 119 27

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 2,768
Cultural Anthropology 28
Other Anthropology 22
Medical Anthropology 3
Physical & Biological Anthropology 1

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 15,499
Economics 10,520
General Social Sciences 9,318
Political Science & Government 8,530
International Relations & National Security 1,387
Geography & Cartography 1,251
Other Social Sciences 451
Urban Studies 361
Archeology 48
Demography & Population Studies 34

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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