# Social Sciences, General

> A program that focuses on the general study of human social behavior and social institutions using any of the methodologies common to the social sciences and/or history, or an undifferentiated program of study in the social sciences.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/social-sciences-general
- CIP code: 45.01 (Social Sciences)
- Colleges offering it: 317 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 38 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Associate's | 180 | $34,275 | $44,266 | $11,541 |
| Bachelor's | 317 | $43,131 | $52,095 | $19,500 |
| Master's | 68 | $55,640 | $57,027 | $66,000 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 9 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 21 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| First professional | 1 | not reported | not reported | $40,907 |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 43 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Vanderbilt University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/vanderbilt-university-3113) | Nashville, TN | $103,229 | $15,000 |
| [New York University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | New York, NY | $91,917 | $21,125 |
| [Harvard University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/harvard-university-1157) | Cambridge, MA | $78,996 | $25,000 |
| [University of Washington-Seattle](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-washington-seattle-main-campus-3075) | Seattle, WA | $75,301 | $20,916 |
| [Towson University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/towson-university-2798) | Towson, MD | $68,242 | $19,500 |
| [California State University-San Marcos](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-san-marcos-377) | San Marcos, CA | $63,622 | $15,769 |
| [SUNY Empire State College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-empire-state-college-2655) | Saratoga Springs, NY | $61,925 | $20,750 |
| [Washington State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-state-university-3171) | Pullman, WA | $61,617 | $20,495 |
| [The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-rio-grande-valley-2774) | Edinburg, TX | $59,440 | $15,500 |
| [Touro College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/touro-college-2795) | New York, NY | $58,798 | $23,876 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brownfield-redevelopment-specialists-and-site-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Compliance Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/compliance-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Loss Prevention Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/loss-prevention-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Managers, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/managers-all-other): $141,900 median pay
- [Regulatory Affairs Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/regulatory-affairs-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Wind Energy Development Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wind-energy-development-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Wind Energy Operations Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wind-energy-operations-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Sociologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sociologists): $106,030 median pay
- [Biostatisticians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biostatisticians): $105,650 median pay
- [Statisticians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/statisticians): $105,650 median pay
- [Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-scientists-and-related-workers-all-other): $101,110 median pay
- [Transportation Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-planners): $101,110 median pay
- [Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sociology-teachers-postsecondary): $84,290 median pay
- [Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-sciences-teachers-postsecondary-all-other): $72,990 median pay
- [Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/secondary-school-teachers-except-special-and-career-technical-education): $72,040 median pay
- [Survey Researchers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/survey-researchers): $69,460 median pay
- [Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/middle-school-teachers-except-special-and-career-technical-education): $64,370 median pay
- [Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/elementary-school-teachers-except-special-education): $63,970 median pay
- [Social Science Research Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-science-research-assistants): $61,990 median pay

## More in Social Sciences

- [Political Science and Government](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/political-science-and-government): 1,087 colleges
- [Sociology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/sociology): 944 colleges
- [Economics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/economics): 767 colleges
- [Anthropology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/anthropology): 455 colleges
- [International Relations and National Security Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/international-relations-and-national-security-studies): 366 colleges
- [Geography and Cartography](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/geography-and-cartography): 293 colleges
- [Criminology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/criminology): 220 colleges
- [Social Sciences, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/social-sciences-other): 108 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/