Best Schools for Social Sciences in 2026
These are the top schools offering Social Sciences, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Social Sciences graduate earns $26,525/yr across 21 schools.
All Social Sciences Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Merced College
Merced, CA · Social Sciences |
77
72–79 |
$34,168/yr | 141.7x |
| 2 |
Tulsa Community College
Tulsa, OK · Social Sciences |
66
62–68 |
$34,203/yr | 48.7x |
| 3 |
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA · Social Sciences |
73
69–75 |
$29,847/yr | 125.5x |
| 4 |
Sierra College
Rocklin, CA · Social Sciences |
73
69–75 |
$30,103/yr | 129.2x |
| 5 |
Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD · Social Sciences |
64
61–66 |
$32,749/yr | 42.4x |
| 6 |
Roxbury Community College
Roxbury Crossing, MA · Social Sciences |
64
61–66 |
$37,941/yr | 31.8x |
| 7 |
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, CA · Social Sciences |
73
66–75 |
$27,691/yr | 164.5x |
| 8 |
Butte College
Oroville, CA · Social Sciences |
71
64–73 |
$26,482/yr | 147.2x |
| 9 |
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Social Sciences |
70
63–72 |
$24,052/yr | 189.0x |
| 10 |
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA · Social Sciences |
68
61–71 |
$22,947/yr | 159.0x |
| 11 |
Ohlone College
Fremont, CA · Social Sciences |
65
61–67 |
$22,545/yr | 92.8x |
| 12 |
Barstow Community College
Barstow, CA · Social Sciences |
66
62–68 |
$22,398/yr | 110.7x |
| 13 |
Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, VA · Social Sciences |
58
53–60 |
$29,425/yr | 31.1x |
| 14 |
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, CA · Social Sciences |
65
57–68 |
$20,084/yr | 200.9x |
| 15 |
Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale, VA · Social Sciences |
54
47–57 |
$23,637/yr | 41.2x |
| 16 |
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Hampton, VA · Social Sciences |
56
50–59 |
$25,478/yr | 35.9x |
| 17 |
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ · Social Sciences |
56
49–58 |
$26,231/yr | 32.3x |
| 18 |
Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA · Social Sciences |
55
49–58 |
$27,600/yr | 26.7x |
| 19 |
Essex County College
Newark, NJ · Social Sciences |
53
45–55 |
$22,053/yr | 32.9x |
| 20 |
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, VA · Social Sciences |
50
43–52 |
$18,164/yr | 37.3x |
| 21 |
Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA · Social Sciences |
50
43–53 |
$19,220/yr | 32.8x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.