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 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 5,400 Anteaters in highly ranked undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With 25% of all UCI graduates leaving campus with a degree from the social sciences, our alumni - numbering more than 64,000 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 (2024-25)
 

 

16

 

 

RESEARCH INSTITUTES
& FACILITIES

Research Institutes Facilities

 

9

 

 

TOP-RANKED
DEPARTMENTS

Top-Ranked Departments

 

12

 

 

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 two-thirds of our incoming new faculty. 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.

 


 

noteworthy faculty (2024)
 

 

22  distinguished professors

 

15  academy members

 

8  aaas fellows

 

8  chancellor's professors

 

5  endowed chairs

 

2  national medalists

 


 

research excellence (2023-24)

$8.02 million

extramural research funding received

experienced staff (2024)

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; 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
 

 


 

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 fall undergraduate enrollment (2024)
 

 

A record number of in-state first-year and transfer students have been offered admission to the University of California, Irvine for the Fall 2024 quarter.
 
More than 19,000 California high school graduates have the choice to become Anteaters in September, which is 1,500 more than last year’s record amount. In addition, nearly 9,000 students from the state’s community colleges can continue their education at UC Irvine, if they wish, an increase of more than 400 from last year.
 
In addition, UC Irvine is offering admission to 7,100 first-generation in-state first-year students and 7,250 in-state first-year students from identified under-represented groups.
 
For this year, UC Irvine was able to meet the campus goal of sustained growth for admissions offers to California’s first-year and transfer students. More than 45,000 first-year and transfer students were offered admission to UC Irvine for the 2024-25 academic year.

 


 

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 (2024)

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

 


 

 

25%

 

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

 

2024 soc sci student
enrollment

anteater surfer

undergraduate (5,085)

 

master's (10)

 

ph.d. (369)

 


 

total soc sci alumni (2024)

64,063

 
*includes living degreed and non-degreed social sciences alumni through June 2024 commencement - number updated annually following certification of June graduates
 

 

 


 

* deceased