School of Social Sciences

Rice University’s School of Social Sciences is a vibrant, inclusive community of scholars, students and educators committed to connecting teaching and research with policy for the betterment of society. We are seven departments with one mission: to tackle society’s greatest challenges with an unconventional vision toward shaping a future that we can all thrive in, both individually and collectively.

Rice is ranked in the top 10 nationally by Niche and/or College Factual for five of our seven social sciences departments – psychology, anthropology, sociology, political science, and sport management. The School of Social Sciences provides innovation in new majors, launching studies in managerial economics and organizational sciences in 2021 and sport analytics in 2022. It also offers world-renowned, award-winning faculty and plenty of access to them, with an average student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1.

Opportunities for undergraduate applied research are plentiful, with research labs in policy, religion and public life, education research, and psychology. The School offers Ph.D. programs in five of the seven departments, as well as five professional master’s programs.

The School’s Frances Anne Moody-Dahlberg Gateway Program helps students transition from their studies to their professional careers or graduate school opportunities, with research funding, travel support for research conferences, an alumni mentorship series, and practica in consulting, finance and community health. Graduates routinely take jobs at Fortune 500 companies, where they earn salaries well over the median for their majors, or continue their studies at Rice and other highly competitive graduate programs.

Our students learn the skills needed to innovate with vision and understanding, find evidence-based strategies and solutions for society’s greatest challenges, connect their research with policy, and transform our world.