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2025 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in California

17 Colleges in California
2,113 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$32,872 Avg Early-Career Salary
You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a degree in philosophy & religious studies. It is ranked #28 out of 38 major degree programs in terms of popularity. As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

College Factual reviewed 17 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of philosophy & religious studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,113 degrees in philosophy & religious studies annually.

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

Choosing a Great Philosophy & Religious Studies School

Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in California The philosophy & religious studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Philosophy & Religious Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Philosophy & Religious Studies 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.

Philosophy & Religious Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Philosophy & Religious Studies
Master's Degrees in Philosophy & Religious Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Philosophy & Religious Studies

The philosophy & religious 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 Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in California. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Philosophy & Religious 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 philosophy & religious studies degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Philosophy & Religious Studies

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$38,380 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy & religious studies. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 77 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Philosophy & Religious Studies degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,508 over the average income of philosophy & religious studies graduates.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$30,182 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in philosophy & religious studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 134 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy & religious studies program earn about $30,182 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$36,355 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in philosophy & religious studies. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 91 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Philosophy & Religious Studies degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of approximately $3,483 above the average income of philosophy & religious studies majors.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Berkeley

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$25,171 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of California - Riverside if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy & religious studies. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 68 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy & religious studies program earn about $25,171 for their early career.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Riverside

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$23,881 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, philosophy & religious studies degree recipients generally make around $23,881 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 71 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy & religious studies program make an average of $32,749 for their early career.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Davis

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$20,922 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 47 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, philosophy & religious studies degree recipients generally make an average of $20,922 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - Irvine

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
20.0% Growth in Graduates

SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 25th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 45 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, philosophy & religious studies degree recipients usually make around $29,712 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from San Diego State University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded
$24,669 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 44 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the philosophy & religious studies program report average early career income of $24,669.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from University of California - San Diego

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
53 Philosophy & Religious Studies Degrees Awarded

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 53 philosophy & religious studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in philosophy & religious studies from California State University - Long Beach

Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 331
Oregon 37 135
Hawaii 36 47
Nevada 35 57
Alaska 33 4

View All Rankings >

Philosophy & Religious Studies Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 1,693
Religious Studies 338
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 66
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 16

View All Philosophy & Religious Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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