College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

52 Colleges in the Plains States Region
8,426 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,688 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in social sciences, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #5 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 52 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,426 degrees in social sciences annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of social sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for social sciences schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Social Sciences Rankings by 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

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 Schools in the Plains States Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the social sciences degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
357 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,492 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 357 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis earn a boost of around $6,804 over the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Washington University in St Louis

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
926 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,451 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 926 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social sciences program earn about $42,451 in their early career salary.

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

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
462 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,650 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 462 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, social sciences degree recipients generally make an average of $41,650 in their early careers.

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

4
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

Carleton College is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. Carleton is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #245 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Carleton is a great college overall.

There were approximately 105 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Carleton College get an earnings boost of around $8,358 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Carleton College

5
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Northfield. This college ranks 6th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 175 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from St Olaf College receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,646 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from St Olaf College

6
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
284 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,644 Median Starting Salary

KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 284 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program report average early career wages of $38,644.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
433 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
15.7% Growth in Graduates

Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 433 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou 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 earnings of $37,924.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Missouri - Columbia

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

UNL is a very large public university located in the city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #207 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 225 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, social sciences degree recipients typically make an average of $36,522 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

9
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,570 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 4th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 116 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Grinnell in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program report average early career earnings of $38,570.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Grinnell College

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 198 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, social sciences degree recipients usually make around $38,770 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Iowa State University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
12 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
13 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
14 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
15 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
16 Creighton University Omaha, NE
17 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO

Best Social Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best social sciences schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 1,051
Minnesota 38 2,726
Iowa 38 1,436
South Dakota 38 262
Missouri 38 2,116
Nebraska 36 819
North Dakota 35 188

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 2,147
Economics 1,990
Sociology 1,225
Anthropology 561
Geography & Cartography 512
General Social Sciences 473
International Relations & National Security 387
Other Social Sciences 111
Urban Studies 58
Sociology & Anthropology 58

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options