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2022 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences

199 Colleges in the United States
3,621 Doctor's Degrees
$41,450 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Sciences is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #8 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 199 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the most popular for social sciences students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,621 doctor's degrees in social sciences during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School for Your Doctor's Degree

Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences Your choice of school for getting your doctor's degree in social sciences matters. One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences ranking is to help you make that choice.

A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for social sciences, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Overall Popularity in Social Sciences

We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process. To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above. If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for social sciences.


 

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Social Sciences Students Working on Their Doctorate

1
75 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NY
#2 Best Quality In NY

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in social sciences has to look into Columbia University in the City of New York. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in New York.

There were about 75 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York

2
71 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#2 Best Quality In IL

University of Chicago is a popular choice for students interested in a doctor's degree in social sciences. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Illinois.

There were about 71 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Chicago

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
70 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MA
#1 Best Quality In MA

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Harvard University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Massachusetts.

There were about 70 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Harvard University

4
69 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WI
#1 Best Quality In WI

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at University of Wisconsin - Madison if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Wisconsin.

There were about 69 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
69 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#6 Best Quality In CA

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in California.

There were approximately 69 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

6
65 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#4 Best Quality In CA

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #4 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in California.

There were approximately 65 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley

7
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
58 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In NY
#3 Best Quality In NY

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in New York.

There were approximately 58 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from New York University

8
56 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MN
#1 Best Quality In MN

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Minnesota.

There were approximately 56 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

9
55 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Michigan.

There were about 55 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

10
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
53 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In PA
#1 Best Quality In PA

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Pennsylvania.

There were about 53 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania

11
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
52 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NJ
#1 Best Quality In NJ

Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in New Jersey.

There were roughly 52 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Princeton University

12
51 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MD
#2 Best Quality In MD

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Maryland.

There were roughly 51 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Maryland - College Park

12
51 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#8 Best Quality In CA

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in California.

There were approximately 51 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Davis

14
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
50 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CT
#1 Best Quality In CT

Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Connecticut.

There were roughly 50 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Yale University

14
50 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#2 Best Quality In IN

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Indiana.

There were about 50 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Indiana University - Bloomington

16
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
48 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In CA
#1 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in California.

There were approximately 48 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Stanford University

17
47 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Illinois.

There were roughly 47 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Northwestern University

18
45 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In TX
#2 Best Quality In TX

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Texas.

There were roughly 45 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from The University of Texas at Austin

18
45 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In AZ
#1 Best Quality In AZ

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Arizona.

There were about 45 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Arizona

18
45 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In NY
#8 Best Quality In NY

The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in New York.

There were roughly 45 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at The Graduate Center in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from The Graduate Center, CUNY

21
44 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In IL
#3 Best Quality In IL

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Illinois.

There were approximately 44 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

22
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
43 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NC
#1 Best Quality In NC

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in North Carolina.

There were about 43 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Duke University

23
41 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In CA
#9 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #9 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in California.

There were about 41 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Irvine

24
40 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in Ohio.

There were roughly 40 social sciences individuals who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Ohio State University - Main Campus

25
38 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In NC
#2 Best Quality In NC

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in social sciences in North Carolina.

There were roughly 38 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

25
25
27
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
28
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
29
29

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences award.

Rank College Location
31 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
32 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
32 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
32 Boston University Boston, MA
32 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
32 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
32 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
32 Brown University Providence, RI
39 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
39 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA

Social Sciences by Region

View the Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Social Sciences for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Economics 1,219
Political Science & Government 696
Sociology 603
Anthropology 531
Geography & Cartography 308
Other Social Sciences 67
International Relations & National Security 66
Criminology 47
Urban Studies 40
General Social Sciences 17

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 13,311
Psychology 6,569
History 878
Communication & Journalism 604
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 337
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 283
Library Science 29

Notes and References

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