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2024 Best Urban Studies Schools in California

9 Colleges in California
346 Urban Studies Degrees Awarded
$39,188 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, urban studies sits in the middle of the road, ranking #209 out of 395 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual reviewed 9 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of urban studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 346 degrees in urban studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Urban Studies School

Best Urban Studies Schools in California The urban studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Urban Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for urban studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Urban Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Urban Studies
Master's Degrees in Urban Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Urban Studies

The urban studies 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 Urban Studies Schools in California. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Urban Studies in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the urban studies degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Urban Studies

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
87 Urban Studies Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in urban studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 87 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in urban studies from University of Southern California

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$50,338 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

University of California - Berkeley is a great option for students interested in a degree in urban studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 27 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the urban studies major at University of California - Berkeley make $11,150 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA

It's difficult to beat Stanford University if you wish to pursue a degree in urban studies. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in urban studies from Stanford University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Urban Studies Degrees Awarded
$41,393 Median Starting Salary

University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in urban studies. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 35 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the urban studies major at University of California - San Diego make $2,205 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Urban Studies Degrees Awarded
19.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 81 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, urban studies degree recipients usually make about $29,073 at the beginning of their careers.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
60.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 24th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 30 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in urban studies from University of San Francisco

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 6 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in urban studies from Loyola Marymount University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
29.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 17 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in urban studies from San Diego State University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,994 Median Starting Salary
$18,625 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 35th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 27 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Urban Studies degree recipients from San Francisco State University earn a boost of approximately $2,806 above the average income of urban studies graduates.

More information about a degree in urban studies from San Francisco State University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,144 Median Starting Salary
$11,987 Median Student Debt

CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Northridge. This university ranks 49th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 15 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, urban studies degree recipients typically earn around $33,144 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in urban studies from California State University - Northridge

Best Urban Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Urban Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington30037
Oregon26632
Nevada19235

View All Rankings >

Urban Studies is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Urban Studies Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Urban Studies/Affairs346

View All Urban Studies Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Sociology13,805
Economics10,639
General Social Sciences8,449
Political Science & Government7,951
Anthropology2,667
International Relations & National Security1,395
Geography & Cartography1,151
Other Social Sciences406
Archeology39
Demography & Population Studies21

View All Urban Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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