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Best universities for social science degrees 2024

Find the best colleges for social sciences using Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 data

    October 26 2023
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    Top 10 universities in the world for social sciences 2024

    Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the world for social science degrees.

    Social science rank 2024Social science rank 2023UniversityCountry/region
    =11Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    =12Stanford UniversityUnited States
    33University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    44Harvard UniversityUnited States
    56Princeton UniversityUnited States
    67University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    75University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    88London School of Economics and Political ScienceUnited Kingdom
    99University of Michigan-Ann ArborUnited States
    1010Yale UniversityUnited States

    The social sciences include a range of subjects, from international relations to politics to geography.

    Graduates of social science degrees go on to pursue a wide range of careers in the public and private sectors.

    Times Higher Education has published the 2024 ranking of the 997 best schools for social sciences across the world.

    A sixth of the list is made up of US universities – 155 institutions in total. UK universities take 95 of the remaining spots, while Australia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan are also represented.

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    Three UK institutions are in the top 10 (the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the London School of Economics and Political Science), while the rest of the top 10 is dominated by US universities.

    The social sciences ranking uses the same methodology as the World University Rankings, but with less weight given to citations and more to research and teaching metrics. The full methodology can be found here.

    Scroll down for a full list of degrees covered by the ranking and what you can do with them.

    Top 5 universities for social sciences

    5. Princeton University

    There are both undergraduate and graduate degree programmes available in the social sciences at Princeton University. Students can choose to study courses from a range of disciplines such as American studies, economics, European cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies, and health policy.

    Princeton has a number of institutes, centres and schools that facilitate research into society and politics, including the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Kahneman-Treisman Center for Behavioral Science and Public Policy.

    4. Harvard University

    Social sciences at Harvard University are taught through interdisciplinary programmes. Fields of study include economics, government, law, sociology, gender studies and psychology.

    For all these subjects, both undergraduates and postgraduates are expected to conduct empirical research and analyse data. Senior thesis projects can involve qualitative or quantitative research methods, or both.

    The Regan Fund at the university is used to invite famous speakers to Harvard to deliver lectures on economics, government and social problems around the world. These lectures are primarily aimed at undergraduates.

    The social sciences division has relationships with a number of museums and research centres, including the Harvard-MIT Data Center and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.

    3. University of Oxford

    Perhaps the most famous social sciences degree at the University of Oxford is philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). The social sciences division also tackles issues such as environmental change, poverty, cybercrime, political turmoil, social inequality and immigration.

    A number of influential politicians and public figures have earned an Oxford PPE degree, including a significant number of British prime ministers. Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate for women’s education Malala Yousafzai recently completed a PPE degree at the institution.

    Much of the social science research at Oxford is aimed at influencing policy in the UK and around the world.

    Particular research strengths include big data, future cities, resource management and global economic performance.

    Aside from PPE, undergraduate courses within the division include geography, archaeology and anthropology, and law and human sciences.

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    =1. Stanford University

    The social sciences department at Stanford University offers anthropology, communication, economics, law, political science, psychology and sociology courses. Many programmes are interdisciplinary, including ethics in society; democracy, development and the rule of law; and urban studies.

    In political science classes, undergraduates study US politics and international political systems and relate them to conflict, social activism, ideology and race issues.

    The curriculum covers five subject areas: US politics, comparative politics, international relations, political methodology, and political theory.

    The department of anthropology is known for an innovative approach that insists that the subject must be studied in relation to contemporary affairs.

    Students learn research methods and theory to carry them through the course of their choice.

    =1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    The School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers a wide selection of subjects, including politics and women’s and gender studies.

    The school’s roots lie in the university’s founding, when courses in psychology and political science were taught.

    The school produces a magazine called Said and Done, which highlights research undertaken within the faculty.

    All students at MIT are expected to take social science classes to help them solve “some of the world’s most challenging problems”.

    Current faculty members include four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur fellows and five Pulitzer prizewinners.

    Best universities for social sciences degrees in the UK
    Best universities for social sciences degrees in the US
    Best universities for social sciences degrees in Canada
    Best universities for social sciences degrees in Australia

    Best universities for social science degrees 2024

    Click each institution to view its World University Ranking 2024 profile.

    Social science rank 2024Social science rank 2023UniversityCountry/region
    =11Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    =12Stanford UniversityUnited States
    33University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    44Harvard UniversityUnited States
    56Princeton UniversityUnited States
    67University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    75University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    88London School of Economics and Political ScienceUnited Kingdom
    99University of Michigan-Ann ArborUnited States
    1010Yale UniversityUnited States
    11=12The University of ChicagoUnited States
    1215Columbia UniversityUnited States
    13=12University of PennsylvaniaUnited States
    1414UCLUnited Kingdom
    1511University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
    1617National University of SingaporeSingapore
    1722Peking UniversityChina
    =1816University of AmsterdamNetherlands
    =18=23Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States
    2020Cornell UniversityUnited States
    2121Tsinghua UniversityChina
    2218University of WashingtonUnited States
    2325New York UniversityUnited States
    24=26University of TorontoCanada
    =2519ETH ZurichSwitzerland
    =2530University of Wisconsin-MadisonUnited States
    2732University of British ColumbiaCanada
    2831University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom
    29=23Duke UniversityUnited States
    3029University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States
    =3133Australian National UniversityAustralia
    =3128Northwestern UniversityUnited States
    3344King’s College LondonUnited Kingdom
    3434University of Texas at AustinUnited States
    3537University of Hong KongHong Kong
    3635Free University of BerlinGermany
    3755Leiden UniversityNetherlands
    =3838University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom
    =38=42McGill UniversityCanada
    =4049KU LeuvenBelgium
    =4056The University of TokyoJapan
    =4246Humboldt University of BerlinGermany
    =42=42University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States
    44=51Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands
    45=40University of ViennaAustria
    4647Aarhus UniversityDenmark
    47=53Ohio State University (Main campus)United States
    4845University of California, San DiegoUnited States
    =4948University of GroningenNetherlands
    =49=53Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
    5184University of SydneyAustralia
    5272University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
    53=60Lund UniversitySweden
    5436University of MannheimGermany
    5558Indiana UniversityUnited States
    5650University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
    5759University of CopenhagenDenmark
    58=60Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
    59=40University of MelbourneAustralia
    6082Carnegie Mellon UniversityUnited States
    =61=65Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands
    =6164LMU MunichGermany
    =61=60University of OsloNorway
    =6157University of ZurichSwitzerland
    65=51Arizona State University (Tempe)United States
    6639Sciences PoFrance
    6769Brown UniversityUnited States
    6874University of SussexUnited Kingdom
    =6976University of LeedsUnited Kingdom
    =69=60University of Maryland, College ParkUnited States
    7178University of MinnesotaUnited States
    7281Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNetherlands
    7386Georgetown UniversityUnited States
    74=65University of EssexUnited Kingdom
    =7585Kyoto UniversityJapan
    =7583Monash UniversityAustralia
    =7771University of California, Santa BarbaraUnited States
    =7777The University of QueenslandAustralia
    7967Erasmus University RotterdamNetherlands
    8068Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
    81=91Durham UniversityUnited Kingdom
    8273Washington University in St LouisUnited States
    8380University of WarwickUnited Kingdom
    84=91Penn State (Main campus)United States
    85101–125Autonomous University of BarcelonaSpain
    8670Michigan State UniversityUnited States
    8775Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
    8889University of TwenteNetherlands
    =89=96University of California, DavisUnited States
    =8988Stockholm UniversitySweden
    9190University of HelsinkiFinland
    92=94University of ArizonaUnited States
    =9387University of California, IrvineUnited States
    =93101–125Uppsala UniversitySweden
    9579University of KonstanzGermany
    96101–125Yonsei University (Seoul campus)South Korea
    97=94Loughborough UniversityUnited Kingdom
    =98100City University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =98101–125University of SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
    =100101–125University of Cape TownSouth Africa
    =100101–125UNSW SydneyAustralia
    101–125151–175University of BarcelonaSpain
    101–125101–125University of BernSwitzerland
    101–125101–125Boston UniversityUnited States
    101–125101–125University of BristolUnited Kingdom
    101–125101–125Emory UniversityUnited States
    101–125101–125University of FloridaUnited States
    101–125126–150Fudan UniversityChina
    101–125126–150George Washington UniversityUnited States
    101–125101–125University of GlasgowUnited Kingdom
    101–125101–125University of GothenburgSweden
    101–125101–125The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
    101–12593Lancaster UniversityUnited Kingdom
    101–125101–125University of MassachusettsUnited States
    101–125126–150University of MontrealCanada
    101–125126–150University of Notre DameUnited States
    101–125126–150Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States
    101–125101–125Queensland University of TechnologyAustralia
    101–125176–200University of São PauloBrazil
    101–125101–125Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina
    101–125176–200Sorbonne UniversityFrance
    101–12598University of SurreyUnited Kingdom
    101–125101–125Texas A&M UniversityUnited States
    101–125=96Vanderbilt UniversityUnited States
    101–125126–150Vrije Universiteit BrusselBelgium
    101–125126–150Zhejiang UniversityChina
    126–150101–125University of AntwerpBelgium
    126–15099University of AucklandNew Zealand
    126–150151–175University of BirminghamUnited Kingdom
    126–150151–175University of BolognaItaly
    126–150126–150Cardiff UniversityUnited Kingdom
    126–150101–125Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark
    126–150101–125University of ExeterUnited Kingdom
    126–150126–150Florida State UniversityUnited States
    126–150151–175University of GeorgiaUnited States
    126–150101–125Georgia Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    126–150101–125Ghent UniversityBelgium
    126–150201–250Goethe University FrankfurtGermany
    126–150101–125HSE UniversityRussian Federation
    126–150126–150University of LausanneSwitzerland
    126–150176–200Nanjing UniversityChina
    126–150126–150Newcastle UniversityUnited Kingdom
    126–150151–175University of NottinghamUnited Kingdom
    126–150201–250Université Paris-SaclayFrance
    126–150126–150Seoul National UniversitySouth Korea
    126–150126–150Simon Fraser UniversityCanada
    126–150126–150SOAS University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    126–150151–175Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina
    126–150126–150Syracuse UniversityUnited States
    126–150126–150Technical University of BerlinGermany
    126–150126–150University of YorkUnited Kingdom
    151–175151–175University of AlbertaCanada
    151–175151–175University of BathUnited Kingdom
    151-175176-200Birkbeck, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    151–175126–150Boston CollegeUnited States
    151–175151–175University of BremenGermany
    151–175151–175University of California, Santa CruzUnited States
    151–175176–200Université Catholique de LouvainBelgium
    151–175151–175City, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    151–175176–200University of CologneGermany
    151–175126–150University of Colorado BoulderUnited States
    151–175126–150Dartmouth CollegeUnited States
    151–175251–300Drexel UniversityUnited States
    151–175176–200Griffith UniversityAustralia
    151–175201–250Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityRussian Federation
    151–175201–250Maastricht UniversityNetherlands
    151–175126–150Northeastern University, USUnited States
    151–175151–175Pompeu Fabra UniversitySpain
    151–175NRUniversity of RochesterUnited States
    151–175201–250University of Technology SydneyAustralia
    151–175126–150Tilburg UniversityNetherlands
    151–175151–175Trinity College DublinIreland
    151–175151–175University College DublinIreland
    151–175126–150University of WaterlooCanada
    151–175176–200University of the WitwatersrandSouth Africa
    151–175301–400Wuhan UniversityChina
    176–200251–300Aalborg UniversityDenmark
    176–200176–200University of AberdeenUnited Kingdom
    176–200176–200Beijing Normal UniversityChina
    176–200201–250Dublin City UniversityIreland
    176–200126–150University of East AngliaUnited Kingdom
    176–200126–150École des Ponts ParisTechFrance
    176–200176–200University of FreiburgGermany
    176–200151–175Friedrich Schiller University JenaGermany
    176–200176–200George Mason UniversityUnited States
    176–200126–150Goldsmiths, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    176–200176–200Koç UniversityTurkey
    176–200126–150Macquarie UniversityAustralia
    176–200176–200North Carolina State UniversityUnited States
    176–200201–250University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusUnited States
    176–200NRUniversity of PotsdamGermany
    176–200151–175Radboud University NijmegenNetherlands
    176–200151–175University of ReadingUnited Kingdom
    176–200201–250RMIT UniversityAustralia
    176–200101–125Rutgers University – New BrunswickUnited States
    176–200176–200Sabancı UniversityTurkey
    176–200151–175Scuola Normale Superiore di PisaItaly
    176–200151–175University of St AndrewsUnited Kingdom
    176–200176–200Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityUnited States
    176–200201–250University of WaikatoNew Zealand
    176–200251–300Western UniversityCanada

     

    Editor's note: This table was updated in December 2023 to retroactively include Birkbeck, University of London based on their provided data submission. More information on the university's inclusion can be found here

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