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2025 Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California

23 Colleges in California
2,708 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$33,044 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ethnic Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #99 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 23 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of ethnic studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,708 degrees in ethnic studies annually.

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

Choosing a Great Ethnic Studies School

Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California The ethnic studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Ethnic Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Ethnic Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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 Ethnic Studies Degree Level

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Ethnic Studies Schools in California list to help you make the college decision. 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 Ethnic Studies in California

The schools below may not offer all types of ethnic studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Ethnic Studies

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$30,106 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in ethnic studies. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 281 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients usually make around $30,106 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
16.2% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a good option for students interested in a degree in ethnic studies. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 154 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program earn around $34,559 in the first couple years of their career.

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

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$32,341 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in ethnic studies needs to look into University of California - Santa Barbara. UCSB is a very large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 98 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the ethnic studies program report average early career earnings of $32,341.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$32,563 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Davis is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in ethnic studies. UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 178 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the ethnic studies program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,563.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
$31,140 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 132 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program earn an average of $31,140 in their early career salary.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
15.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 30th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 152 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program make an average of $31,001 in the first couple years of working.

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

7
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
69th Most Popular In CA
43.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 16 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

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

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in History Program Name

Gain a rich foundation of knowledge ranging from early history to modern times with this online bachelor's degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University.

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8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
6.6% Growth in Graduates

CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge. This university ranks 48th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 228 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the ethnic studies program earn an average of $26,767 in the first couple years of working.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

UCR is a fairly large public university located in the city of Riverside. A Best Colleges rank of #219 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCR is a great university overall.

There were roughly 56 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients generally make around $31,443 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in ethnic studies from University of California - Riverside

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Ethnic Studies Degrees Awarded
24.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 65 ethnic studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, ethnic studies degree recipients usually earn an average of $29,267 in the first five years of their career.

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

Best Ethnic Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 185
Oregon 266 111
Nevada 192 26
Hawaii 164 153
Alaska 119 11

View All Rankings >

Ethnic Studies is one of 2 different types of Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies programs to choose from.

Ethnic Studies Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Women’s Studies 606
Latino Studies 580
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, & Group Studies, Other 535
Ethnic Studies 395
African American Studies 202
Deaf Studies 194
Asian-American Studies 118
Native American Studies 50
Comparative Group Studies 15
Gay/Lesbian Studies 10

View All Ethnic Studies Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Ethnic Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Area Studies 793
Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) 2

View All Ethnic Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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