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2025 Best Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania

33 Colleges in Pennsylvania
7,908 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,688 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in social sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #5 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 33 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of social sciences. Combined, these schools handed out 7,908 degrees in social sciences to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania The social sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Sciences rankings. For our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Sciences Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

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 Best Social Sciences Schools in Pennsylvania list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in Pennsylvania

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Social Sciences

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
644 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in social sciences needs to look into University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 644 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of about $37,566 above the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$86,284 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 99 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University earn a boost of approximately $45,596 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Carnegie Mellon University

3
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
27.4% Growth in Graduates

Swarthmore College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Swarthmore is a great college overall.

There were roughly 135 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Swarthmore College earn $22,179 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Swarthmore College

4
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,809 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Villanova University if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were approximately 303 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Villanova University earn a boost of approximately $17,120 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Villanova University

5
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 14th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 287 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Lafayette College get an earnings boost of around $18,410 above the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Lafayette College

6
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$66,325 Median Starting Salary

Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Lewisburg. A Best Colleges rank of #158 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were about 281 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Bucknell University get $25,637 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Bucknell University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
669 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,307 Median Starting Salary

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 669 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career income of $42,307.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

8
Haverford crest
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In PA
86 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Haverford, Haverford is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were about 86 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Haverford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Haverford College

9
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Gettysburg, Gettysburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 16th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 194 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Gettysburg in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Gettysburg College earn $9,033 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Gettysburg College

10
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
25.9% Growth in Graduates

Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bethlehem. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were approximately 135 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Lehigh University get an earnings boost of approximately $2,453 over the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Lehigh University

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 3,582
New York 38 16,964
Maryland 37 5,195
Delaware 33 865
District of Columbia 33 4,610

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,191
Political Science & Government 2,049
Sociology 880
Geography & Cartography 665
International Relations & National Security 522
Anthropology 378
General Social Sciences 231
Other Social Sciences 170
Urban Studies 59
Sociology & Anthropology 48

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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