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2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region

10 Ranked Colleges
240 Degrees Awarded
$26,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 9,393 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,924 and $24,385 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 240 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region.

Top 12 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State University are $16,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full South Dakota State Social Sciences Report

#2

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Capella University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Capella University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Capella University also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Capella University are $14,767, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Capella University Social Sciences Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 19 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State are $25,948.

Full Iowa State Social Sciences Report

#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Dakota landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USD are $12,637, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full USD Social Sciences Report

#4

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social sciences degrees to 56 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Social Sciences Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 11 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree social sciences students list, UNL has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNL are $19,513, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Social Sciences Report

#6

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#7 in overall quality

University of Kansas ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Full University of Kansas Social Sciences Report

#4 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Columbia are $27,193, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Mizzou Social Sciences Report

#8

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#9 in overall quality

Kansas State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 17 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree social sciences students list, K -State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kansas State University are $24,115, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Kansas State University Social Sciences Report

#9

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 14 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613.

Read more about Social Sciences at Iowa

#10

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

Washington University in St Louis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 29 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree social sciences students list, WUSTL has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Washington University in St Louis

#11

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 3 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UMSL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMSL are $30,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UMSL

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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