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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences

465 Ranked Colleges
17,401 Degrees Awarded
$54,633 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2021-2022, 197,356 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In , social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $36,428 and had an average of $22,588 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 17,401 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” ranking looked at 465 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in social sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree social sciences students.

Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences

1
Institute of World Politics crest
Institute of World Politics
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Institute of World Politics. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 31 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Institute of World Politics Social Sciences Report

2
Pardee RAND Graduate School crest
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica, California

Out of the 465 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Pardee RAND Graduate School landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Santa Monica, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 20 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Pardee RAND Graduate School Social Sciences Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend International Institute for Restorative Practices. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 39 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Social Sciences at IIRP Graduate School

4

Out of the 465 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean landed the #4 spot on the list. Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean is a small school located in San Juan, Puerto Rico that handed out 15 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y El Caribe Social Sciences Report

5

Out of the 465 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey landed the #5 spot on the list. Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 50 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

6

With a ranking of #6, Virginia International University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 0 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Virginia International University Social Sciences Report

7
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Lasell University
Newton, Massachusetts

Lasell University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Lasell is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Newton, Massachusetts. It awarded 63 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Social Sciences at Lasell University

8
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SIT Graduate Institute
Brattleboro, Vermont

With a ranking of #8, SIT Graduate Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. SIT is located in Brattleboro, Vermont and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Social Sciences at SIT

9
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Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,085 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Johns Hopkins University

10
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Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Tufts is a fairly large school located in Medford, Massachusetts that handed out 299 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Tufts

11
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Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Naval Postgraduate School is a public institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 167 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Social Sciences at Naval Postgraduate School

12
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Unity College
New Gloucester, Maine

Unity College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Located in New Gloucester, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 more about Social Sciences at Unity

13
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Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 78 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Brandeis

14
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 432 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at The American University

15
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

George Washington University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 541 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Sciences at GWU

16
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Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 524 students 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Georgetown

17
Norwich crest
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont

Norwich University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Northfield, Vermont, and it awarded 48 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Social Sciences at Norwich University

18
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Midland University
Fremont, Nebraska

Midland University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Fremont, Nebraska, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Social Sciences at Midland U

19
The Graduate Center crest
The Graduate Center, CUNY
New York, New York

The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. The Graduate Center, CUNY is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 123 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Social Sciences at The Graduate Center, CUNY

20
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Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Clark is a small school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 52 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Clark Social Sciences Report

21
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 387 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full UChicago Social Sciences Report

22
GSU crest
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Grambling, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.

Full Grambling State University Social Sciences Report

23
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 34 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Social Sciences at Claremont Graduate University

24

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez is a small school located in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico that handed out 3 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

25
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #25. St. Joe’s is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 81 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 St. Joe’s Social Sciences Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO
27
28
29
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Hillsdale College
Hillsdale, MI
30
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The New School
New York, NY
31
32
33
34
35
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
36
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Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH
37
38
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Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
39
40
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Rice University
Houston, TX
41
Coker crest
Coker University
Hartsville, SC
42
43
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St. Mary's University
San Antonio, TX
44
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Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
45
46
47
48
49
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Duke University
Durham, NC
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of DenverDenver, CO
52Andrews UniversityBerrien Springs, MI
53Hawaii Pacific UniversityHonolulu, HI
54Drew UniversityMadison, NJ
55Regis UniversityDenver, CO
56University of Wisconsin - MadisonMadison, WI
57Boston UniversityBoston, MA
58Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA
59Utica CollegeUtica, NY
60Sarah Lawrence CollegeBronxville, NY
61Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO
62University of Maryland Eastern ShorePrincess Anne, MD
63Cabrini UniversityRadnor, PA
64New York UniversityNew York, NY
65Regent UniversityVirginia Beach, VA
RankCollegeLocation
66Saint Vincent CollegeLatrobe, PA
67Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ
68Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
69George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
70Stanford UniversityStanford, CA

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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