I’m very interested in many of the areas in the Social Sciences, I’d like to go to a school with a well-rounded program so that I could study each and choose one to focus on. Which universities have the best reputations for Social Sciences programs? TIA
Social sciences may divide roughly along the lines of economics/government/history or psychology/sociology/anthropology. Which of these two groupings aligns more closely with your interests?
Economics/ government/ history 100%, thank you for making that point. Is there a term for that side of Social Science?
This report contains older ranking information on a number of social science fields.
https://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html
It would be interesting to see this report updated in this format, but I am not sure that is possible with the newer NRC data. I get the feeling that in many of these subject areas, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This link contains an analysis of universities based on strength across 15 departments, including economics, education, history, political science, psychology and sociology:
http://publicuniversityhonors.com/rankings-academic-departments-private-elites-vs-publics/
Your post specified universities, but many smaller colleges also have very fine departments in these areas.
That was an error in semantics on my part, I did not mean to distinguish between university and college. I simply meant institute of higher learning. Is there a way for me to edit the title?
I’d say history overlaps with the humanities and can be understood in that way. But then history links to government/public policy/world politics and economics, social science fields which relate directly to national and international policy issues. I know of no particular term for these closely interrelated disciplines.
For a sampling of schools covering a range of selectivity, try:
Harvard
Princeton
Columbia
Yale
Georgetown
Hamilton
Claremont McKenna
Holy Cross
Bowdoin
Kenyon
Furman
Drew
More schools could easily be added.
For economics specifically, try these online analyses from IDEAS: “US Economics Departments”; “Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges.”
I wouldn’t split them up this way at all. First of all, this omits political science (and some lesser-taught social sciences like geography). Secondly, there’s behavioral economics, combinations of sociology and history, political economy, anthropological studies of government structures and all kinds of other combinations.
Secondly, I wouldn’t go only by the NRC rankings. They’re good, but they’re intended to rank doctoral programs. Characteristics that are important to undergraduates are different (overlapping, yes, but different). And any ranking of graduate departments leaves out small liberal arts colleges and regional public universities that don’t have doctoral programs but might have really strong departments in the fields of your interests.
My advice? Most decently strong schools also have decently strong social sciences departments. I’d look at the major listing and the course listing in each department to see what was offered. I’d also look to see if there are any interdisciplinary or co-curricular offerings - like a public policy minor or certificate; something in women’s/gender/sexuality studies; a community health concentration; something in peace and conflict studies - really, anything in your interest. While the absence of these minors doesn’t mean a school is bad, the presence of them does indicate a robustness in the social science community of the school at large.
It would probably be better for you to find a list of places that you like based on a variety of factors and then ask if those places have good to strong departments in your areas of interest.
“First of all, this omits political science” (#6)
Political science is a somewhat trendy term for the study of government.
“Secondly, [there are] . . . all kinds of . . . combinations.” (#6)
For the OP’s clearly expressed primary interests, the dozens of distinctions that can be made along these lines do not appear to be relevant.
To @merc81’s list I would add U Penn, U Chicago, and Northwestern.
Re #8, so would I.
Then consider George Washington, American and NYU.
Michigan is very strong in the Social Sciences and Humanities, and is exceptionally undergraduate focused, particularly in Economics. Michigan also offers a PPE major worth looking into.
It would be easier to list the colleges and universities that are NOT strong in social sciences. I will start it off with MIT, Harvey Mudd. RPI, and Rose Hulman. (yes, I know that MIT has some great social science options, but it is a relatively small part of their offerings, so is less likely to have the ‘well-rounded program’ that the OP is looking for).
So, can anybody suggest any other academically competitive colleges or universities that are NOT strong in the social sciences?
Seriously, OP, pretty much all academically selective colleges will have good social sciences. You might look towards those with relatively few general education / distribution requirements, as you will have more room in your schedule to taste-test different classes.
@collegemom3717 I think this is a great idea, that would be very helpful. One specific example I wonder about is Rice, while I know it’s a fantastic university, I hear it is STEM-Focused, and wonder if it would still be a great option.
Interesting you mention Rice- I thought of it for you when i read your other posts about residential colleges! Actually, although Rice has built a strong research reputation, it’s humanities are ranked pretty similarly to the sciences.
This is why I’ve been suggesting focusing on the type of environment/vibe/ethos/academic structure/etc that suits you. For example, compare Rice and another college you have mentioned, Notre Dame. Both are similarly ranked, both will have great econ, IR, history, etc, and their student bodies are similar in size. But, Rice is porous to a city while Notre Dame in relatively rural area. Rice has distribution requirements, ND has a core curriculum- compare the two to see how different that will be. And that’s not even thinking about the difference in weather or factoring in the religion element of ND.
Thanks again. What is the difference between distribution requirements and a core curriculum?
All colleges will post on their websites what you need to graduate. In addition to the requirements for your major, all colleges have some form of distribution requirements (sometimes called General Education, or GenEd). These can be really minor (Brown or Vassar for example) or really extensive. Some colleges (such as Columbia and ND) have an explicit ‘core curriculum’.
So, ND’s “Core Curriculum” requires that you take classes in each of: Writing and Rhetoric; Fine Arts; History; Literature: Math; Philosophy; Science; Social Science; Theology; and a University Seminar.
Rice on the other hand has distribution requirements which make you take 4 classes in each of 3 categories:
Group 1- arts/humanities/languages
Group II- social sciences
Group III- analytical
Usually you will be able to use some of them toward your major requirements as well.
The opportunities in social sciences can vary even among schools of comparable overall quality. Some colleges, for instance, offer semester-long programs in Washington, or resources on campus to look for with names along the lines of “center for student involvement” or “public affairs center.” The substance of the OP’s original question should not be overlooked entirely, even if it may be subsidiary to aspects related to general fit.
Rice is not in the same league with ND in terms of humanities and social sciences. In fact most schools aren’t.
From 1999 - 2016, ND faculty has received 57 fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Harvard is second with 31.
In terms of total fellowships ND is 5th nationally with 161. Northwestern is 6th with 136.
Also, South Bend is not rural. If South Bend is rural then so is Ann Arbor. They have about the same population.
Notre Dame is a good example of a school that is stronger in political science, in particular, than some of its otherwise similarly regarded peers.