by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 14,260 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,797 and $22,345 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,577 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,505 and $37,295 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 44 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree social sciences students.
Out of the 44 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Angelo State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Angelo State is a fairly large public school situated in San Angelo, Texas. It awarded 66 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oklahoma City University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. Oklahoma City University is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 22 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 44 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 67 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St. Mary’s University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Arizona State University - Skysong
University of Arizona ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 41 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 187 masters’s social sciences degrees 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Sciences at Texas A&M College Station
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 42 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso
Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large school located in Commerce, Texas that handed out 38 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 124 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 12 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
With a ranking of #13, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Prescott, Arizona. It awarded 6 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
Southern Methodist University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Southern Methodist University
With a ranking of #15, University of the Southwest did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. USW is a small school located in Hobbs, New Mexico that handed out 3 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of the Southwest
University of Houston - Clear Lake landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 15 masters’s social sciences 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Houston - Clear Lake
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 44 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Social Sciences Report
Texas State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 47 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 45 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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 88%.
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 57 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%.
Our Lady of the Lake University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 41 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Social Sciences Report
With a ranking of #23, Texas Southern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
University of North Texas ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of North Texas
University of Houston came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 71 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
