by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 205,984 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 14,741 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,797 and $22,656 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,489 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 44 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in social sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree social sciences students.
Out of the 44 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Angelo State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Angelo State University is a public institution located in San Angelo, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma City University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. OCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. Mary’s University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. St. Mary’s is a small school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 22 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 157 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Arizona State University - Skysong
University of Arizona came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 128 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Arizona
New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 33 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 200 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas A&M College Station
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 48 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Commerce, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas A&M University - Commerce
With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Kingsville, Texas, and it awarded 13 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #14. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, University of the Southwest did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Hobbs, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of the Southwest
With a ranking of #16, University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 15 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. UNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 33 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 46 masters’s social sciences 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas at Dallas Social Sciences Report
The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 41 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Our Lady of the Lake University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. OLLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, 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 87%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Oklahoma
Texas Southern University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. TSU is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of North Texas landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of North Texas is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 44 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of North Texas
With a ranking of #25, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
