by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 686 doctor's degrees in social sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of social sciences for getting your doctor'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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social sciences students working on their doctor's degree.
The social sciences 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 Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in social sciences.
Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in social sciences has to look into Stanford University. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Stanford University
It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Southern California
University of California - Los Angeles is a wonderful choice for students interested in a doctor's degree in social sciences. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Davis
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Irvine
UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Wazzu is a fairly large public university located in the town of Pullman.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Washington State University
Explore the best social sciences schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 30 | 492 |
| Washington | 27 | 61 |
| Oregon | 27 | 48 |
| Nevada | 25 | 14 |
| Hawaii | 23 | 16 |
| Alaska | 10 | 3 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 264 |
| Political Science & Government | 137 |
| Sociology | 117 |
| Anthropology | 82 |
| Geography & Cartography | 46 |
| Urban Studies | 10 |
| International Relations & National Security | 6 |
| General Social Sciences | 4 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 3 |
| Other Social Sciences | 3 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 338 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 233 |
| English Language & Literature | 122 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 89 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 89 |
| History | 86 |
| Communication & Journalism | 73 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 32 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 13 |
