by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 146 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for social sciences students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 28,960 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 schools for social sciences students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Vanderbilt University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Vanderbilt University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in social sciences needs to look into Duke University. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Duke University
University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in social sciences has to take a look at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Florida
Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Virginia Tech
Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Emory University
Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Florida State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Georgia
Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Winston-Salem.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Wake Forest University
Tulane is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Orleans.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Tulane University of Louisiana
Located in the small suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from William & Mary
Located in the town of Lexington, Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Washington and Lee University
GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from George Mason University
Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
USF Tampa is a very large public university located in the city of Tampa.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of South Florida - Main Campus
UofSC is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of South Carolina - Columbia
URichmond is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of University of Richmond.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Richmond
UA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tuscaloosa.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from The University of Alabama
Located in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Miami
JMU is a very large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from James Madison University
FIU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Miami.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Florida International University
NC State is a very large public university located in the city of Raleigh.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from North Carolina State University
Clemson is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Clemson University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 31 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 32 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 33 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 34 | Elon University | Elon, NC |
| 35 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 36 | Rhodes College | Memphis, TN |
| 37 | Furman University | Greenville, SC |
| 38 | Virginia Military Institute | Lexington, VA |
| 39 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV |
| 40 | Christopher Newport University | Newport News, VA |
| 41 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 42 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 43 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 44 | Wofford College | Spartanburg, SC |
| 45 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 46 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 47 | The University of Tampa | Tampa, FL |
| 48 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA |
Explore the best social sciences colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 34 | 4,635 |
| Mississippi | 34 | 623 |
| Florida | 34 | 7,568 |
| Virginia | 34 | 5,504 |
| Alabama | 33 | 1,377 |
| Georgia | 33 | 3,402 |
| West Virginia | 32 | 702 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 2,021 |
| South Carolina | 32 | 1,796 |
| Kentucky | 31 | 1,194 |
| Louisiana | 31 | 1,371 |
| Arkansas | 30 | 849 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 10,222 |
| Economics | 5,269 |
| Sociology | 4,893 |
| International Relations & National Security | 2,227 |
| Anthropology | 1,745 |
| General Social Sciences | 1,169 |
| Geography & Cartography | 640 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 109 |
| Other Social Sciences | 82 |
| Urban Studies | 70 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Journalism | 19,919 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 9,766 |
| English Language & Literature | 7,928 |
| History | 5,756 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 4,804 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 3,617 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,748 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 2,097 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,091 |
