by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 205,984 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 16,693 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” ranking, we looked at 465 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in social sciences.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Institute of World Politics. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Institute of World Politics is a small school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 41 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pardee RAND Graduate School. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Pardee RAND Graduate School is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Monica, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Pardee RAND Graduate School
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend International Institute for Restorative Practices. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. International Institute for Restorative Practices is a small school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that handed out 21 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Sciences at International Institute for Restorative Practices
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Juan, . The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y El Caribe
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Middlebury Institute is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monterey, California. It awarded 46 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Social Sciences at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Virginia International University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Sciences at Virginia International University
Lasell University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Lasell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Newton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 64 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIT Graduate Institute ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. SIT Graduate Institute is a small school located in Brattleboro, Vermont that handed out 5 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Johns Hopkins University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 946 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Tufts University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Tufts University is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 353 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Naval Postgraduate School ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Naval Postgraduate School is a public institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 193 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Sciences at Naval Postgraduate School
Unity College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Unity is a small school located in Unity, Maine that handed out 17 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Brandeis University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 176 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
American University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 349 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
George Washington University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. George Washington University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 649 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at George Washington University
Georgetown University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 437 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Norwich University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Norwich is a small school located in Northfield, Vermont that handed out 74 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Midland University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Located in Fremont, Nebraska, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 156 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Clark University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #20. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #21. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 317 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
With a ranking of #22, Grambling State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Grambling State University is a medium-sized school located in Grambling, Louisiana that handed out 35 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Claremont Graduate University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 29 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Claremont Graduate University
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is located in Mayaguez, and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Saint Joseph’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 100 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Saint Joseph’s University
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 52 | Andrews University | Berrien Springs, MI |
| 53 | Hawaii Pacific University | Honolulu, HI |
| 54 | Drew University | Madison, NJ |
| 55 | Regis University | Denver, CO |
| 56 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 57 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 58 | Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 59 | Utica College | Utica, NY |
| 60 | Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville, NY |
| 61 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 62 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Princess Anne, MD |
| 63 | Cabrini University | Radnor, PA |
| 64 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 65 | Regent University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 67 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, NJ |
| 68 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
| 69 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 70 | Stanford University | Stanford, CA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
