by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 46 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24,911 bachelor's degrees in social sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The social sciences bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality social sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social sciences students working on their bachelor's degree.
The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in social sciences.
University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in social sciences. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
It is difficult to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Stanford University
It is hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Southern California
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Davis
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Claremont McKenna College
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Irvine
UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz
Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 12 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 13 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 14 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 15 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
Explore all the Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 34 | 3,651 |
| Hawaii | 30 | 523 |
| Oregon | 30 | 2,455 |
| Nevada | 30 | 804 |
| Alaska | 29 | 83 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Sociology | 8,090 |
| Economics | 6,016 |
| Political Science & Government | 5,663 |
| Anthropology | 1,513 |
| International Relations & National Security | 736 |
| General Social Sciences | 525 |
| Geography & Cartography | 506 |
| Other Social Sciences | 320 |
| Urban Studies | 217 |
| Archeology | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Journalism | 9,569 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 5,142 |
| English Language & Literature | 3,998 |
| History | 2,905 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 2,437 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 2,419 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 2,106 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 1,411 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 412 |
