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2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
75 Degrees Awarded
$34,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 37,807 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 24th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,727 and had an average of $23,622 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 14,493 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,922 and $18,563 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 75 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in sociology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent sociology 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 sociology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Sociology 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 Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011.

Read full report on Sociology at Stanford University

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 13 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at UC Irvine

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.

Read more about Sociology at UC Berkeley

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 10 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at UCLA

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also made our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Read more about Sociology at UCSD

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Riverside

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 5 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Sociology at UC Davis

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree sociology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at UCSB

#9

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Southern California

#10

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #10 spot in our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Santa Cruz Sociology Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Sociology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Merced

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kontos.

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