2025 Best Anthropology Doctor's Degree Schools in California

Anthropology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #50 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 54 doctor's degrees in anthropology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on anthropology students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of anthropology students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt anthropology students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized anthropology related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Anthropology Doctor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Anthropology in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in anthropology.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Anthropology

1

University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

15 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in anthropology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in anthropology from University of California - Los Angeles

2

University of California - Davis
Davis, CA

12 Annual Graduates

University of California - Davis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in anthropology. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in anthropology from University of California - Davis

Best Anthropology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	122	9
Oregon	107	9
Nevada	84	2
Hawaii	53	3
Alaska	19	3

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Anthropology Related Rankings by Major

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

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Anthropology	53
Medical Anthropology	1

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Economics	220
Political Science & Government	119
Sociology	94
Geography & Cartography	42
Urban Studies	7
International Relations & National Security	6
General Social Sciences	4
Demography & Population Studies	3
Other Social Sciences	3
Archeology	2

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Deror avi. More about our data sources and methodologies.