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2024 Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools

173 Colleges in the United States
1,289 Master's Degrees
If you plan on getting your master's degree in sociology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #119 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 173 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of sociology. Combined, these schools handed out 1,289 master's degrees in sociology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Sociology School for Your Master's Degree

Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools Your choice of sociology for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality sociology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for sociology students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Sociology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Sociology in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in sociology. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Sociology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

Stanford University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a master's degree in sociology. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Stanford University

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Yale University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in sociology. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in sociology from Yale University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
23 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in sociology has to check out Teachers College at Columbia University. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in sociology from Teachers College at Columbia University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a master's degree in sociology. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in sociology from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Rice University

6
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Harvard University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Northwestern University

8
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a master’s in sociology from Duke University

9
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Princeton University

10
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Pennsylvania

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Notre Dame

12
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Vanderbilt University

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Johns Hopkins University

14
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in sociology from New York University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of California - Berkeley

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from Cornell University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Chicago

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in sociology from The Graduate Center, CUNY

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

21
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in sociology from Emory University

22
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.More information about a master’s in sociology from Brown University

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Virginia - Main Campus

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in sociology from University of Maryland - College Park

Rest of the Top Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Sociology students that almost earned our Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
27 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
28 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
28 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
29 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
30 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
31 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
32 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
33 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL

Sociology by Region

View the Best Sociology Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Sociology is one of 3 different types of Sociology programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Sociology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Applied/Public Sociology 9

Notes and References

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