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2025 Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools in California

5 Colleges in California
94 Doctor's Degrees
Sociology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #45 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 94 doctor's degrees in sociology during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Sociology School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools in California The sociology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality sociology program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for sociology students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Sociology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Sociology Doctor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Sociology in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in sociology.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Sociology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
10 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in sociology has to take a look at Stanford University. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in sociology from Stanford University

2
14 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in sociology. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in sociology from University of California - Berkeley

3
15 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in sociology. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles

4
15 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in sociology needs to take a look at University of California - Irvine. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in sociology from University of California - Irvine

5
10 Annual Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a doctorate in sociology from University of California - Davis

Best Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Sociology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 122 5
Oregon 107 10
Nevada 84 2
Hawaii 53 2

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Sociology is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Sociology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 94

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 220
Political Science & Government 119
Anthropology 54
Geography & Cartography 42
Urban Studies 7
International Relations & National Security 6
General Social Sciences 4
Demography & Population Studies 3
Other Social Sciences 3
Archeology 2

Notes and References

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