Social Sciences Degree

76 schools compared · Average earnings $38,652/yr

Students study human society through an interdisciplinary lens combining sociology, political science, economics, psychology, and anthropology to understand social structures and human behavior. Graduates typically pursue careers in research, public policy, market research, government, nonprofit management, and education. This broad major provides flexibility for students interested in society who want to explore multiple disciplines before specializing.

What Social Sciences Graduates Do

Your degree opens two distinct doors: one leading to people-centric roles, the other to data-driven analysis. Many graduates enter education, where you might spend your days creating lesson plans for a high school history class or managing a classroom of 25 middle schoolers. While teaching jobs face slight headwinds, they offer tens of thousands of openings each year. Others start in entry-level non-profit or corporate roles, eventually progressing into management. There, your focus shifts from specific tasks to coordinating team projects, setting budgets, and resolving operational challenges.

Alternatively, you could pursue a more quantitative path as a research assistant or statistician—fields with strong growth prospects. Your day would involve cleaning datasets, running statistical models, and preparing charts for research reports. AI's impact on these paths is moderate overall but varies significantly. In teaching, the effect is low; the core interpersonal work is hard to automate. For managers, AI will handle routine tasks, shifting your focus to strategy and leadership. In data-heavy roles, however, AI is reshaping the job. Your value will come less from manual analysis and more from directing AI tools and exercising critical judgment on their outputs.

Schools Offering
76
Avg Grad Earnings
$38,652/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
50/100
AI Automation Risk
High
52% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Social Sciences graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 318,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Managers, all other
$136,550
$100K$179K
106,700 +4.5% 47%
Statisticians
$103,300
$79K$138K
2,000 +8.5% 66%
Sociologists
$101,690
$78K$135K
300 +3.6% 54%
Social scientists and related workers, all other
$100,340
$79K$128K
3,200 -1.7% 52%
Sociology teachers, postsecondary
$82,540
$64K$113K
1,100 +2.1% 43%
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other
$75,040
$60K$105K
1,500 +1.7% 0%
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$64,580
$58K$83K
66,200 -1.6% 33%
Survey researchers
$63,380
$46K$85K
700 -5.2% 62%
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$62,970
$54K$79K
40,500 -2.0% 35%
Elementary school teachers, except special education
$62,340
$51K$79K
91,000 -2.0% 31%
Social science research assistants
$58,040
$46K$73K
5,200 +4.4% 67%
Managers, all other
$136,550
$100K $179K
106,700 openings/yr +4.5% growth 47% AI risk
Statisticians
$103,300
$79K $138K
2,000 openings/yr +8.5% growth 66% AI risk
Sociologists
$101,690
$78K $135K
300 openings/yr +3.6% growth 54% AI risk
Social scientists and related workers, all other
$100,340
$79K $128K
3,200 openings/yr -1.7% growth 52% AI risk
Sociology teachers, postsecondary
$82,540
$64K $113K
1,100 openings/yr +2.1% growth 43% AI risk
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other
$75,040
$60K $105K
1,500 openings/yr +1.7% growth 0% AI risk
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$64,580
$58K $83K
66,200 openings/yr -1.6% growth 33% AI risk
Survey researchers
$63,380
$46K $85K
700 openings/yr -5.2% growth 62% AI risk
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$62,970
$54K $79K
40,500 openings/yr -2.0% growth 35% AI risk
Elementary school teachers, except special education
$62,340
$51K $79K
91,000 openings/yr -2.0% growth 31% AI risk
Social science research assistants
$58,040
$46K $73K
5,200 openings/yr +4.4% growth 67% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Compare 76 Social Sciences programs side by side in our full ranking →

Best Schools for Social Sciences

Top 20 of 76 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
76
73–76
$57,538/yr 15.3x
2 Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ
70
69–70
$44,773/yr 22.5x
3 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD
67
65–68
$50,557/yr 15.8x
4 Colorado State University Global
Aurora, CO
65
63–66
$46,384/yr 15.0x
5 Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
64
65–65
$42,332/yr 15.5x
6 Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
63
61–64
$61,389/yr 2.5x
7 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX
62
61–63
$47,248/yr 12.3x
8 University of Houston-Downtown
Houston, TX
62
61–63
$45,687/yr 14.6x
9 California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
62
66–63
$37,446/yr 19.6x
10 California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
61
64–62
$39,061/yr 17.8x
11 Washington State University
Pullman, WA
60
60–61
$43,069/yr 10.4x
12 Manhattan College
Riverdale, NY
60
61–61
$41,062/yr 4.3x
13 Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
59
58–60
$46,206/yr 8.1x
14 Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
58
56–59
$56,540/yr 2.2x
15 Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN
58
58–59
$41,954/yr 12.0x
16 California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
58
60–59
$39,149/yr 15.6x
17 Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
58
64–58
$33,235/yr 25.5x
18 Mercer University
Macon, GA
56
54–57
$61,612/yr 2.8x
19 Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC
56
54–57
$50,653/yr 3.0x
20 Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH
56
56–57
$42,932/yr 7.8x

Highest Earning Social Sciences Programs

Schools where Social Sciences graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score
Mercer University $61,612/yr 56
Vanderbilt University $61,389/yr 63
University of Washington-Seattle Campus $57,538/yr 76
Harvard University $56,540/yr 58
Upper Iowa University $56,221/yr 54
Campbell University $50,653/yr 56
University of Maryland Global Campus $50,557/yr 67
New York University $49,016/yr 54
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley $47,248/yr 62
Colorado State University Global $46,384/yr 65

Best ROI for Social Sciences

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Social Sciences.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
Florida State University 25.5x $33,235/yr 58
Thomas Edison State University 22.5x $44,773/yr 70
California State University-San Marcos 19.6x $37,446/yr 62
California State University-Sacramento 17.8x $39,061/yr 61
University of West Florida 17.4x $37,501/yr 55
University of Wyoming 17.1x $32,351/yr 51
University of South Florida 16.8x $34,427/yr 51
California State University-Monterey Bay 16.7x $34,678/yr 54
California State University-San Bernardino 16.2x $18,893/yr 46
University of Maryland Global Campus 15.8x $50,557/yr 67
Want to compare two Social Sciences programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Social Sciences offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the typical salary after a Social Sciences degree?
First-year earnings for Social Sciences graduates average $38,652 annually, based on data from 76 programs. The range spans $18,893 at the low end to $61,612 at the top.
How exposed is Social Sciences to AI disruption?
Social Sciences is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with 52% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
What's the top-ranked school for Social Sciences?
Our data ranks University of Washington-Seattle Campus first among 76 Social Sciences programs. Its score of 76/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($57,538/yr), return on investment, and career durability.
What's the ROI on a Social Sciences degree?
On average, Social Sciences graduates earn 9.1x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →