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2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Sociology in California

25 Ranked Colleges
200 Degrees Awarded
$37,428 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 38,475 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 25th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $24,587 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 15,499 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,847 and $18,490 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 200 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,974 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in sociology.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Sociology Major in California for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree sociology students.

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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 Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Sociology at Stanford

3

Out of the 25 schools in the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Sociology Report

4

Out of the 25 schools in the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Sociology at California State University - Los Angeles

5

Out of the 25 schools in the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 13 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Fullerton

6

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s 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%.

Read more about Sociology at CSUDH

7

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Sociology at UC Davis

7

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 9 masters’s sociology 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at UC Irvine

9

California State University - San Marcos came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Sociology Report

9
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 8 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full San Diego State University Sociology Report

11

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Sociology Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Sociology Report

13

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s 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%. 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 Sociology at UCSB

13

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Sociology at Sac State

13

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Sociology Report

16

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #16. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 more about Sociology at University of California - Riverside

17

University of California - San Diego landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 3 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Sociology Report

17
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 3 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Humboldt State University Sociology Report

19
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #19, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Sociology Report

20

With a ranking of #20, University of California - San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of California - San Francisco is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 masters’s 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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at UCSF

20

California State University - Long Beach came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 308 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full CSULB Sociology Report

20
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #20. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Sociology at USC

20

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 147 degrees to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Sociology Report

20

University of California - Merced came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 92 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Merced

20

California State University - East Bay landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Sociology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 247 masters’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - East Bay Sociology Report

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