2024 Best General Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

General Social Sciences is about average in terms of popularity for master's degrees programs. That is, it ranks #142 out of the 343 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general social sciences students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 23 master's degrees in general social sciences to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on general social sciences students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of general social sciences students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for general social sciences to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized general social sciences related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general social sciences students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank General Social Sciences Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study General Social Sciences in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in general social sciences.

Top California Schools for a Master's in Social Sciences

1

California State University - Chico
Chico, CA

9 Annual Graduates

California State University - Chico is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in general social sciences. Chico State is a large public university located in the medium-sized city of Chico.More information about a master’s in general social sciences from California State University - Chico

1

Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA

11 Annual Graduates

Humboldt State University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a master's degree in general social sciences. Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in general social sciences from Humboldt State University

2

California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA

3 Annual Graduates

California State University - San Bernardino is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in general social sciences. CSUSB is a large public university located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.More information about a master’s in general social sciences from California State University - San Bernardino

Best General Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Oregon	158	0

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Rankings in Majors Related to Social Sciences

General Social Sciences is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Social Sciences Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
General Social Sciences	23

Majors Similar to Social Sciences

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Economics	532
International Relations & National Security	455
Sociology	200
Political Science & Government	163
Geography & Cartography	133
Anthropology	121
Urban Studies	84
Other Social Sciences	82
Demography & Population Studies	33
Archeology	2

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Manfred Werner (Tsui). More about our data sources and methodologies.