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2024 Best Sociology Schools in California

58 Colleges in California
15,499 Sociology Degrees Awarded
Ranked #20 in popularity, sociology is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 58 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sociology Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 15,499 degrees in sociology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Sociology School

Best Sociology Schools in California Your choice of sociology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Sociology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Sociology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Sociology
Bachelor's Degrees in Sociology
Master's Degrees in Sociology
Doctor's Degrees in Sociology

The sociology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Sociology Schools in California. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Sociology in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the sociology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Sociology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86th Most Popular In CA
48 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Stanford University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in sociology. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 48 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
374 Sociology Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in sociology. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 374 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
766 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in sociology needs to take a look at University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 766 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69th Most Popular In CA
63 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in sociology needs to check out University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 63 sociology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Southern California

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
275 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 275 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
306 Sociology Degrees Awarded

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 306 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Irvine

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
726 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 726 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Santa Barbara

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27th Most Popular In CA
161 Sociology Degrees Awarded

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 161 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - San Diego

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In CA
214 Sociology Degrees Awarded

San Jose State is a very large public university located in the large city of San Jose. This university ranks 23rd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 214 sociology students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from San Jose State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In CA
273 Sociology Degrees Awarded

UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 273 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Santa Cruz

Best Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 650
Oregon 587 341
Nevada 354 120
Hawaii 267 96
Alaska 167 5

View All Rankings >

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

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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