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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

56 Colleges in the Plains States Region
8,884 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$35,904 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.

College Factual looked at 56 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,884 degrees in social sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
375 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$44,185 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 375 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis receive $8,282 more than the average social sciences student.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,180 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
2.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult 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 #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1180 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career income of $35,140.

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

3
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$44,567 Median Starting Salary

Carleton College is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. Carleton is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #93 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carleton is a great college overall.

There were approximately 86 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Carleton College make $8,663 more than the average social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Carleton College

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
495 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$35,772 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 494.99999999999994 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career income of $35,772.

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

5
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,690 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Grinnell is a great college overall.

There were approximately 119 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Grinnell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Grinnell College get $2,787 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Grinnell College

6
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,034 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 162 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from St Olaf College receive $2,131 more than the average social sciences grad.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
365 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$35,687 Median Starting Salary

Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 365 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 report average early career wages of $35,687.

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

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
312 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$32,652 Median Starting Salary

KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 312 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 state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,652.

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

9
Webster crest
Webster University
Saint Louis, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$65,496 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 6th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 85 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Webster in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Webster University make $29,592 more than the average social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Webster University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$36,595 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 192 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social sciences program make about $36,595 in the first couple years of their career.

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

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 2,307
Economics 2,132
Sociology 1,248
Anthropology 580
General Social Sciences 520
Geography & Cartography 494
International Relations & National Security 410
Other Social Sciences 171
Urban Studies 73
Sociology & Anthropology 48

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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