by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 155 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,487 doctor's degrees in social sciences to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of social sciences for getting your doctor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social sciences students working on their doctor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Harvard University is a great choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in social sciences. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania
University of Chicago is a great decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in social sciences. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Chicago
It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Northwestern University
Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Yale University
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Stanford University
Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Duke University
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Rice University
Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Princeton University
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Vanderbilt University
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Cornell University
Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Georgetown University
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Southern California
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Notre Dame
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Washington University in St Louis
Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Brown University
Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Carnegie Mellon University
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from New York University
Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Emory University
Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 27 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 28 | Teachers College at Columbia University | New York, NY |
| 29 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 29 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 30 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 31 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 24 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 25 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
View the Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 1,248 |
| Political Science & Government | 654 |
| Sociology | 577 |
| Anthropology | 469 |
| Geography & Cartography | 249 |
| Other Social Sciences | 108 |
| International Relations & National Security | 73 |
| Urban Studies | 24 |
| Archeology | 14 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 9 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 2,356 |
| English Language & Literature | 1,092 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 1,000 |
| History | 721 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 629 |
| Communication & Journalism | 533 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 342 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 233 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 90 |
