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2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in California

18 Ranked Colleges
492 Degrees Awarded
$76,692 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking.

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 California, there were 51,680 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,887 and $17,995 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 492 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular social sciences programs in the United States.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate

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

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 75 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 96%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 66 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Stanford

3

Out of the 18 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 62 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 University of California - Los Angeles

4

Out of the 18 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 47 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 more about Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis Social Sciences Report

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 doctorate’s 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UCSB

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 34 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - San Diego

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Southern California

9
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 32 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 Claremont Graduate University

10

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Social Sciences Report

11

University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 University of California - Riverside

12
Pardee RAND Graduate School crest
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica, California

With a ranking of #12, Pardee RAND Graduate School did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate 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 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

Full Pardee RAND Graduate School Social Sciences Report

13

University of California - San Francisco landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. UCSF is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Francisco Social Sciences Report

14
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at SDSU

14

University of California - Merced ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 5 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Merced Social Sciences Report

16

California Institute of Integral Studies landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. California Institute of Integral Studies is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 1 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of Integral Studies Social Sciences Report

17
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #17. Naval Postgraduate School is a small school located in Monterey, California that handed out 257 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Naval Postgraduate School

17

California Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social sciences degrees to 3 students 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full California Institute of Technology Social Sciences Report

Notes and References

References

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