Aspiring social science students can use the following information to learn about significant academic institutions and possible careers in the field. Since the social sciences umbrella covers so much – psychology, political science, and anthropology to name a few – there are no accreditation agencies that oversee all the social sciences. Students should seek out program accreditation based on the specific major they intend to pursue. You can find even more resources by taking a look at our comprehensive database of online social science degrees.
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Career Options
The social sciences category covers a broad spectrum of research opportunities, and students prospects will range, depending on whether they specialized in psychology, anthropology, political science, history, or other topics before graduating. The following jobs are a sampling of what students can do once they earn a degree in these fields.
| WORK ENVIRONMENT | NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT | MEAN HOURLY WAGE | MEAN ANNUAL WAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economist | 15,760 | $47.83 | $99,480 |
| Survey Researchers | 17,370 | $24.47 | $50,890 |
| Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 103,590 | $34.72 | $72,220 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers | 30,660 | $38.25 | $79,560 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 26,370 | $19.60 | $40,760 |
Figures from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012
Notable Schools
Here are a few prolific colleges that offer social science degrees completely online. These colleges have been selected due to their high institutional or program-specific rankings.
Online
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan / Online
This academic institution is a ranking heavyweight when it comes to both its online and campus-based programs. CMU achieved the first place ranking from the U.S. News & World Report for the best online bachelor’s degree programs. Additionally, this college has also been included on the top national universities and top public schools lists. CMU’s College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences includes nationally acclaimed faculty members, such as psychology professor Tim Hartshorne, who received a U.S. Department of Education award for his disabilities research.
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida / Online
This college has gained recognition as the 5th best college for online bachelor’s degree programs, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The Princeton Review has also noted the University of Florida’s affordability, including this college on its list of “Best Value Public Colleges” in 2012. This college boasts an exhaustive range of social science oriented online programs from the bachelor’s to the doctoral levels.
The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina / Online
UNC Chapel Hill is highly regarded for the quality of their undergraduate and graduate distance learning programs. At the graduate level, this college holds top rankings for their sociology, history, economics, and psychology programs, according to the U.S. News and World Report. UNC Chapel Hill also offers unique online exchange opportunities for distance learners, who can enroll in courses with 16 partner schools to complete a program.
Campus Only
These listings include the premier colleges for students who wish to learn within traditional classrooms. While some of these schools might provide other subject courses online, their social science programs are exclusively campus-based.
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
This extremely competitive college has received a first place ranking amongst national colleges by the U.S. News and World Report. Princeton isn’t just the best at the institutional level – they have mowed down the competition across several social science graduate specializations, ranking first for its history and sociology departments. Their graduate level psychology and political science studies are amongst the top ten best programs in the nation.
University of California – Berkeley
Berkeley, California
This prominent West Coast college is another beacon for high performing graduate students and faculty. UC Berkeley holds first place amongst national graduate programs for the quality of their economics, history, and sociology education. Social sciences students studying either psychology or political science shouldn’t worry, because like Princeton, Berkeley also ranks amongst the top ten for programs in these fields.
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Prospective graduate students exploring social science degrees should strongly consider Penn State’s campus-based programs. PSU has received high rankings from the U.S. News & World Report as one of the top public schools in the nation. When it comes to individual graduate programs, they also offer some of the nation’s highest ranking psychology, history, economics, and political science graduate programs – leading the way in social science graduate studies.