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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in California

13 Ranked Colleges
218 Degrees Awarded
$38,900 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 47,809 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , economics graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $48,722 and had an average of $21,489 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 10,639 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,538 and $16,133 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 218 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $76,943 and $148,774 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. That schools that top this list have a program in economics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California”.

Top 13 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in California

1
Pardee RAND Graduate School crest
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica, California

Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pardee RAND Graduate School landed the #1 spot on the list. Santa Monica, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 21 students in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Economics at Pardee RAND Graduate School

2
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont Graduate University landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 12 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at Claremont Graduate University

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 24 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Stanford University Economics Report

4

Out of the 13 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 30 students 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.

Read more about Economics at UC Berkeley

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full University of California - Davis Economics Report

6

University of California - San Diego landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 15 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - San Diego

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 11 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Economics at UCSB

8

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at UC Santa Cruz

9

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 21 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at UCLA

10
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 doctorate’s economics 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. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Economics at University of Southern California

11

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 24 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Economics at University of California - Irvine

12

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 UCR Economics Report

13

California Institute of Technology came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Economics Major in California ranking. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Economics at Caltech

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