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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in California (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
473 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 50,479 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,934 and $19,309 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 473 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 48 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Stanford University Social Sciences Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 38 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UCSD Social Sciences Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 41 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 28 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Riverside Social Sciences Report

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 33 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

Full UCSB Social Sciences Report

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 doctorate’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Davis

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 8 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658.

Read more about Social Sciences at SDSU

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Merced landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree social sciences students with aid list, UC Merced has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Merced

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 21 doctorate’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Social Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Southern California

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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