2025 Best Urban Studies Schools in California
7
Colleges in California
346
Urban Studies Degrees Awarded
$46,649
Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity,
urban studies sits in the middle of the road, ranking #209 out of 395 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for urban studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 346 degrees in urban studies annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Urban Studies School
The urban studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Urban Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for urban studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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 Urban Studies Degree Level
The urban studies 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 Urban Studies Schools in California.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Urban Studies in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the urban studies degree levels they offer.
Top California Schools in Urban Studies
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
87
Urban Studies Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in urban studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 87 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in urban studies from University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in urban studies. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 27 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the urban studies major at University of California - Berkeley get $11,522 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in urban studies from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in urban studies. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 35 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the urban studies program earn an average of $37,074 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in urban studies from University of California - San Diego
Any student pursuing a degree in urban studies has to take a look at University of California - Irvine. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 81 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, urban studies degree recipients usually earn an average of $34,385 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in urban studies from University of California - Irvine
Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 21st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 30 urban studies students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in urban studies from University of San Francisco
