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2025 Best Philosophy Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

19 Colleges in California
1,187 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,196 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in philosophy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #61 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Philosophy Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,187 bachelor's degrees in philosophy to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Philosophy School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Philosophy Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of philosophy for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Philosophy Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Philosophy in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Philosophy

1
77 Annual Graduates
$38,380 Median Starting Salary
$35,198 Median Student Debt

University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Those philosophy students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California earn $10,184 more than the standard philosophy graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of Southern California

2
116 Annual Graduates
$30,182 Median Starting Salary
$17,100 Median Student Debt

University of California - Los Angeles is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the philosophy program report average early career income of $30,182.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Los Angeles

3

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in philosophy. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Those philosophy students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $8,159 more than the standard philosophy graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Berkeley

4
108 Annual Graduates
$25,303 Median Starting Salary
$42,481 Median Student Debt

University of California - Santa Barbara is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, philosophy bachelor's recipients usually earn around $25,303 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Santa Barbara

5

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Philosophy bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Davis earn a boost of approximately $4,553 above the average earnings of philosophy majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Davis

6

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, philosophy bachelor's recipients generally earn about $25,171 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Riverside

7

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the philosophy program state that they receive average early career wages of $20,922.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - Irvine

8

SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the philosophy program report average early career earnings of $29,712.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from San Diego State University

9

UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the philosophy program report average early career earnings of $24,669.

More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from University of California - San Diego

10
18 Annual Graduates

Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange.More information about a bachelor’s in philosophy from Chapman University

Best Philosophy Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 236
Oregon 185 98
Nevada 129 43
Hawaii 112 24
Alaska 75 4

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One of 3 majors within the Philosophy & Religious Studies area of study, Philosophy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Philosophy Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 1,122
Other Philosophy 65

Related Major Annual Graduates
Religious Studies 217
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 7

Notes and References

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