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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in California

13 Ranked Colleges
203 Degrees Awarded
$38,900 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 49,055 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 10,520 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,538 and $16,731 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 203 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in economics. That schools that top this list have a program in economics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The economics 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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree economics students.

Top 13 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in California

1
Pardee RAND Graduate School crest
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pardee RAND Graduate School. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. Santa Monica, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Economics at Pardee RAND Graduate School

2
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont Graduate University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 18 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Claremont Graduate University Economics Report

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stanford University Economics Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 38 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Economics at University of California - Berkeley

5

Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 25 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at UC Davis

6

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 17 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - San Diego

7

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Economics Report

8

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Santa Cruz

9

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Economics at University of California - Los Angeles

10
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full USC Economics Report

11

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 12 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Economics Report

12

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Economics Report

13

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 3 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Caltech Economics Report

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