AT A GLANCE
 

students at a beach during sunset doing the zot sign

A QUICK LOOK AT UCI'S RECENT RANKINGS ON A NUMBER OF SCALES PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF WHAT MANY OF US ALREADY KNOW TO BE TRUE - UCI IS ABSOLUTELY ON FIRE AND IS THE PLACE TO BE!

 


 

 

 

 


 

And as the largest academic unit on the Irvine campus, the School of Social Sciences plays a major role in driving the university’s success. Led by a standout faculty and superb staff, we support more than 6,200 Anteaters in highly ranked undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With 27% of all UCI graduates leaving campus with a degree from the social sciences, our alumni - numbering nearly 63,000 Anteaters strong - take their world-class education across the globe as they make their mark in courtrooms, boardrooms, classrooms, and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Learn more within the following pages about everything the School of Social Sciences encompasses. And if you find yourself wanting to take a deeper dive into what makes us great, reach out. We’d love to connect!

 


 

soc sci by the numbers (2022-23)
 

 

16

 

 

RESEARCH INSTITUTES
& FACILITIES

Research Institutes Facilities

 

9

 

 

TOP-RANKED
DEPARTMENTS

Top-Ranked Departments

 

13

 

 

UNDERGRADUATE
DEGREE PROGRAMS

Undergraduate Degree Programs

 

12

 

 

MASTER'S & Ph.D. PROGRAMS

Master's & Ph.D. Programs

 


 

Within the UCI School of Social Sciences, passion and purpose drive all that we do. From our outstanding student, alumni, and community collective to our distinguished faculty and staff, we are the wave makers and mold breakers - the people who aren’t afraid to forge new pathways, pursue new programs, and break with tradition in search of solutions that create positive change. Critical to this effort are our 182 prestigious faculty and 79 lecturers tasked with teaching, leading, and serving the next generation of change makers.
 

Diversity is paramount to our success.

We’re proud of our efforts to recruit and retain female and underrepresented minority faculty who comprise 50% and 64% of our incoming new faculty, respectively.  Assisting in the organizational efforts that keep us on our successful trajectory are 73 staff members whose years of service range from a few months to more than 33 years, averaging 12.1 years spent within the UC system.

 


 

new faculty diversity (2023)
 

50%

 

female faculty

64%

 

underrepresented minority faculty

Photos of our New Faculty in Fall 2022

 


 

noteworthy faculty (2023)
 

 

23  distinguished professors

 

17  academy members

 

8  aaas fellows

 

6  chancellor's professors

 

5  endowed chairs

 

2  national medalists

 


 

research excellence (2022-23)

$9.4 million

extramural research funding received

experienced staff (2023)

12.1 years

average years of staff service in UC system

 


 

undergraduate and graduate degree programs

 

 


 

outstanding undergrads

students smiling  
Students are the lifeblood of the university and nowhere on campus is that more true than in social sciences. The school is home to UCI’s largest undergraduate student population and hosts 6 of the campus’s top 25 most popular undergraduate majors:
 
  • business economics
  • economics
  • international studies
  • political science
  • psychology
  • sociology

 
The school also hosts award-winning programs including Deconstructing Diversity Initiative; Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Healing Ambassador Program; LeadHER; Mock Trial; Social Sciences Ambassadors; Summer Academic Enrichment Program; and UC Prime Pre-Health Pathways. With generous funding from the Dean’s Leadership Society and Alumni Network, the school also supports outstanding students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and UCDC.

 


 

school-sponsored student programs
 

deconstructing diversity initiative

deconstructing
diversity initiative

diversity, inclusion & racial healing

diversity, inclusion
& racial healing

leadher

leadher
 
 

mock trial

mock trial
 
 

social sciences ambassadors

social sciences
ambassadors

summer academic enrichment program

summer academic
enrichment program

uc prime pre-health pathways

uc prime
pre-health pathways

 


 

21%

of all UCI undergrads have a major within the School of Social Sciences
-That means 1 out of every 5 Anteaters calls social sciences home!

 

 


 

a closer look at uci soc sci's incoming undergraduate class (2023)
 

904

 

uci soc sci first-years

586

 

transfers

44%

 

first-generation

36%

 

underrepresented minority students

 

For the third year in a row, UCI set a record as more than 143,000 students applied for 2023 admission. A total of 121,074 aspiring first-year students applied for fall, an increase of more than 2,000 from last year.
 
Another 22,087 applications came from transfer students, the second-highest number among the nine UC undergraduate campuses. For the fifth consecutive year, UCI was the top UC choice for first-generation, in-state students, with 45% of its California-resident applications coming from those who will be the first in their families to attend college. As some of the best, brightest, and most determined of our undergrads, these students bring diverse experiences and perspectives to our school, helping to forge new pathways and leading the process of generational change.

 


 

 

 

gradute program excellence
 

#08

 

anthropology
National Research Council

#14

 

cognitive sciences
U.S. News & World Report

#17

 

economics
U.S. News & World Report

#01

 

logic & philosophy of science
Philosophical Gourmet Report

#21

 

political science
U.S. News & World Report

#09

 

sociology
U.S. News & World Report

NEW FALL 2020

 

global studies
 

NEW FALL 2020

 

language science
 

 

Graduate education is thriving in social sciences. Reflecting the tripartite research, teaching, and service mission of the UC, our students and alumni can be found in  leadership roles throughout  academia, education, science, and society. All social sciences graduate programs are highly ranked. Of our U.S. News & World Report ranked programs, all four earned top 25 spots among public U.S. universities and top 50 rankings overall:

  • Economics, 17th among public universities, 38th overall
  • Political science, 21st among public universities, 41st overall
  • Psychology, 14th among public universities, 30th overall
  • Sociology, 9th among public universities, 20th overall

The National Research Council and Center for a Public Anthropology ranked anthropology 8th, and the Philosophical Gourmet Report ranked six subfields within logic & philosophy of science in the top 3:
 

Our graduate students have an excellent track record of publishing in top journals and securing external research funding from prestigious organizations ranging from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health to the Russell Sage, Wenner-Gren, and Ford Foundations.

Upon completion of their Ph.D. programs, our alumni are widely sought by universities, government organizations, and large corporations for academic and professional posts. To name but a few recent placements:

  • Harvard London School of Economics
  • Michigan
  • Northwestern
  • Notre Dame
  • Princeton Rutgers
  • UCLA
  • University of Wisconsin
  • U.S. Census Bureau
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury
  • Mind Research Network
  • Amazon
  • Google

 

 

 


 

public impact (2023)

True to our motto, social sciences’ outreach efforts chart a bold and boundaryless course. From programs that are exposing students from underrepresented backgrounds to university, graduate-level and STEM opportunities to educational partnerships serving veterans and individuals who are incarcerated, community collaborations spanning more than 50 zip codes across California and the country, and public-facing event series tackling topics from racism to the future of democracy, we are creating positive change.

Our faculty consistently share their expertise as active voices in media, providing expert perspective on topics including inflation, women’s rights, AI, voting, digital worlds, child welfare, money, sleep, and more. Annually, our people and programs appear in more than 500 news stories spanning hundreds of media outlets including the The New York Times, MSN, Los Angeles Times, US News & World Report, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Marketplace, NBC News, CalMatters, NPR, The Guardian, ABC News, CNN, USA Today, National Geographic, and more.
 

media outlets logos

 


 

 

27%

 

of UCI's class of '23 are
social sciences alumni
zot! zot! zot!

2023 socsci student
enrollment

anteater surfer

undergraduate (5,470)

 

master's (16)

 

ph.d. (424)

 


 

total soc sci alumni (2023)

62,756

 
*includes living degreed and non-degreed social sciences alumni through June 2023 commencement - number updated annually following certification of June graduates
 

 

 


 

* deceased

 

connect with us

         

© UC Irvine School of Social Sciences - 3151 Social Sciences Plaza, Irvine, CA 92697-5100 - 949.824.2766