2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in California
19
Ranked Colleges
102
Degrees Awarded
$35,800
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 9,787 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. In , philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,103 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,693 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,527 and $15,719 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 102 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in philosophy. That schools that top this list have a program in philosophy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The philosophy 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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree philosophy students.
Top 19 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in California
Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Biola University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 16 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at Biola University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 12 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Full SFSU Philosophy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 2 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Full Loyola Marymount Philosophy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 7 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Stanford Philosophy Report
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 6 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Los Angeles
University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Irvine Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Riverside
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #10, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 10 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at San Jose State University
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UCLA
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 SDSU Philosophy Report
University of California - Davis landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Long Beach ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - San Diego came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - San Diego Philosophy Report
University of California - Berkeley ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 1 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national 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 UC Berkeley Philosophy Report
Claremont Graduate University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California list. Claremont Graduate University is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at Claremont Graduate University
Epic Bible College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in California ranking. Epic Bible College is located in Sacramento, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Philosophy at Epic Bible College
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.