Only 10 years after it began, the Ph.D. program in UC Merced’s Department of Sociology made an impressive debut in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings of graduate-level offerings.
The Sociology graduate program tied for No. 64 nationally, sharing the position with UC Riverside, Temple University, the University of Florida and Washington State University.
In its first decade, the program placed a remarkable 15 graduate students in tenure-track faculty positions, including at UC Davis, Louisiana State University, the University of Houston-Downtown and several California State universities and community college campuses. Others are serving in key administrative and research roles in higher education.
Nearly all of these alumni are first-generation college students.
The Sociology program became eligible for ranking by U.S. News by conferring a certain number of doctoral degrees.
“We are thrilled to be 64th in our debut on the U.S. News graduate program rankings. But we’re not surprised,” said Professor Nella Van Dyke , a founding faculty member of the Department of Sociology. “When we began developing the program, our goal was to be ranked in the top 100 as soon as we were eligible.
“We designed a high-quality graduate program and hired excellent faculty. We provide a supportive environment where our graduate students can thrive.”
“For UC Merced’s Sociology graduate program to be ranked in the top 100 in its first appearance reflects the growing prominence of the department’s faculty among colleagues nationwide.”
U.S. News’ 2025 rankings of social sciences and humanities programs were based on peer assessment surveys in which top officials rated programs of other institutions.
“For UC Merced’s Sociology graduate program to be ranked in the top 100 in its first appearance reflects the growing prominence of the department’s faculty among colleagues nationwide,” Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Hrant Hratchian said.
The Sociology program prepares students for research-based careers at academic institutions or at nonprofit, government or advocacy organizations. There are six areas of concentration:
- Race and ethnicity
- Gender and sexuality
- Health/Environmental sociology
- Political sociology/Social movements
- Education
- Immigration
Faculty also have expertise in intersectionality, community organizing, labor, economic sociology and law/criminology. They also employ innovative pedagogy in the classroom and with field research and mentoring.
“Sociology represents one of SSHA’s core strengths in the social sciences, and this national ranking affirms both the strength of our academic mission and the broad impact of our faculty,” SSHA Dean Leo Arriola said. “This recognition is a testament to the vision of Sociology’s faculty. In a brief time, they have built a program that is a leader in socially engaged research and graduate training.”
Two other Ph.D. programs in UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts appeared in this U.S. News ranking cycle. Political Science tied for 54th and Psychological Sciences tied for 95th.
A UC Merced graduate-level Sociology presentation.
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