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Social scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a social scientist. Social scientists usually study anthropology, sociology, or psychology. 55% of social scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 233 real social scientist resumes to see exactly what social scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for social scientists are the Middlebury College - Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Middlebury College - Monterey Institute of International Studies.
There are also many online social scientist courses to help get the education required to be a social scientist.
What education do you need to become a social scientist?
What degree do you need to be a social scientist?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 26%
- Doctorate, 18%
- Associate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 0%
What should I major in to become a social scientist?
- Anthropology, 12%
- Sociology, 10%
- Psychology, 10%
- Political Science, 10%
- Other Majors, 58%
Most common colleges for social scientists
| Social scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Middlebury College - Monterey Institute of International Studies | 10.00% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 8.00% |
| Emory University | 6.00% |
| University of Houston | 6.00% |
| University of North Texas | 6.00% |
Best majors for social scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthropology | 12.4% |
| 2 | Sociology | 9.9% |
| 3 | Psychology | 9.9% |
| 4 | Political Science | 9.9% |
| 5 | International Relations | 7.4% |
Best colleges for social scientists
The best colleges for social scientists are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
A social scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for social scientists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become social scientists.
1. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,382
Enrollment
5,597
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
20 best online courses for social scientists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for social scientists
The most affordable schools for social scientists are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for social scientists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for social scientists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social scientists
The hardest universities for social scientists to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for social scientists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for social scientists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
10. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social scientists
The easiest schools for social scientists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, felician university, and california university of pennsylvania.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social scientist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for social scientists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
3. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
4. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
5. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,062
8. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
9. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
10. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,019
Average social scientist salary by education level
| Social scientist education level | Social scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,933 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $67,516 |
| Doctorate Degree | $75,314 |
Social scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025