by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 199 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 17,401 master's degrees in social sciences to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of social sciences for getting your master'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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 master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Johns Hopkins University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social sciences. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Johns Hopkins University
Northwestern University is a wonderful option for individuals interested in a master's degree in social sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Northwestern University
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social sciences has to take a look at Cornell University. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Cornell University
Vanderbilt University is a great option for students interested in a master's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Vanderbilt University
Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Harvard University
UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Chicago
Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Duke University
Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Georgetown University
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania
Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Brown University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Stanford University
Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from George Washington University
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from American University
Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Yale University
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Notre Dame
Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of California - Irvine
Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Tufts University
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in social sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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 master’s in social sciences from University of Southern California
Williams is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Williamstown.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Williams College
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in social sciences from Boston University
Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 4,686 |
| International Relations & National Security | 4,650 |
| Political Science & Government | 1,889 |
| Sociology | 1,428 |
| Geography & Cartography | 1,248 |
| Anthropology | 1,001 |
| General Social Sciences | 854 |
| Urban Studies | 382 |
| Other Social Sciences | 351 |
| Archeology | 60 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 13,436 |
| Communication & Journalism | 12,283 |
| English Language & Literature | 8,169 |
| History | 3,531 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 2,950 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 2,867 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,236 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 1,863 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,850 |
