California · Human Services

Best colleges for Human Services in California

Ranked by graduate earnings

California State University - Fullerton, California State University - Monterey Bay and California State University - Dominguez Hills award the most Human Services degrees and certificates in California: 205, 75 and 69 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 66 California colleges offer Human Services and award 1,562 degrees and certificates a year in all.

The Human Services program, also known as Human Services, General, is an interdisciplinary field focused on meeting human needs through a comprehensive understanding of social and service technologies. It aims to improve the quality of…

Institutions
66
offering CIP 44.00
States offered
51
with a program page
Degrees / yr
1,562
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
$37,501
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
1
College Scorecard
Median net price
$26,940
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
38%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · Social and Human Service Assistants
$55,100
BLS OEWS May 2025

Top institution, ranked by graduate earnings

Ranked by median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard. Programs with fewer than 20 graduates a year, a graduation rate under 30%, or online, degree-completion or graduate-only status rank after the rest.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1California State University - Monterey Bay
Seaside Public · Bachelor's degree
$37,5017559%—$14,480

Colleges awarding the most Human Services degrees in California

Top 10 by graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25 completions). Online, degree-completion and graduate-only schools, and schools with a graduation rate under 30% are listed in full below.

Graduates / yr: degrees and certificates awarded in a year, IPEDS completions. Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionGraduates / yrStarting salary (1 yr)
1California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton Public
205Not reported
2California State University - Monterey Bay
Seaside Public
75$37,501
3California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson Public
69Not reported
4Folsom Lake College
Folsom Public
61Not reported
5Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley Public
61Not reported
6Southwestern College
Chula Vista Public
53Not reported
7Cerritos College
Norwalk Public
50Not reported
8San Diego City College
San Diego Public
50Not reported
9Long Beach City College
Long Beach Public
44Not reported
10Santa Ana College
Santa Ana Public
37Not reported
Show the other 56 California colleges offering Human Services
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta MariaPublic63
Columbia CollegeSonoraPublic49
Fresno City CollegeFresnoPublic45
College of the RedwoodsEurekaPublic36
Rio Hondo CollegeWhittierPublic34
Solano Community CollegeFairfieldPublic30
Cabrillo CollegeAptosPublic29
Cuyamaca CollegeEl CajonPublic29
Cypress CollegeCypressPublic29
Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta RosaPublic28
Modesto Junior CollegeModestoPublic27
San Bernardino Valley CollegeSan BernardinoPublic27
Saddleback CollegeMission ViejoPublic23
Contra Costa CollegeSan PabloPublic22
Bakersfield CollegeBakersfieldPublic21
Shasta CollegeReddingPublic21
City College of San FranciscoSan FranciscoPublic19
University of San DiegoSan DiegoPrivate not-for-profit19
Chabot CollegeHaywardPublic17
MiraCosta CollegeOceansidePublic17
College of the SiskiyousWeedPublic17
Palomar CollegeSan MarcosPublic16
Mendocino CollegeUkiahPublic15
Touro University Worldwide (Online)Los AlamitosPrivate not-for-profit15
Cerro Coso Community CollegeRidgecrestPublic14
Oxnard CollegeOxnardPublic13
Ventura CollegeVenturaPublic13
Cosumnes River CollegeSacramentoPublic12
American River CollegeSacramentoPublic11
Coastline Community College (Online)Fountain ValleyPublic11
Sacramento City CollegeSacramentoPublic11
Santa Monica CollegeSanta MonicaPublic11
Los Angeles City CollegeLos AngelesPublic10
College of the SequoiasVisaliaPublic9
Berkeley City CollegeBerkeleyPublic9
Canada CollegeRedwood CityPublic8
Napa Valley CollegeNapaPublic8
Cuesta CollegeSan Luis ObispoPublic7
East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey ParkPublic7
Glendale Community CollegeGlendalePublic7
Merced CollegeMercedPublic6
Madera Community CollegeMaderaPublic6
Santiago Canyon CollegeOrangePublic5
California Baptist UniversityRiversidePrivate not-for-profit4
San Joaquin Delta CollegeStocktonPublic4
Las Positas CollegeLivermorePublic4
Woodland Community CollegeWoodlandPublic4
Lassen Community CollegeSusanvillePublic3
Fullerton CollegeFullertonPublic2
Northeastern University OaklandOaklandPrivate not-for-profit2
University of San FranciscoSan FranciscoPrivate not-for-profit2
Simpson UniversityReddingPrivate not-for-profit2
Feather River Community College DistrictQuincyPublic1
Golden West CollegeHuntington BeachPublic1
Moorpark CollegeMoorparkPublic1
West Los Angeles CollegeCulver CityPublic1

Career outlook

What this program leads to: Social and Human Service Assistants (SOC 21-1093).

Projected growth (2024–2034)
+6.4%
Faster than average
Openings / yr (US)
~50,600
BLS Employment Projections
US median wage
$45,120
typically High school diploma or equivalent

Top skills

SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionMonitoringWritingCritical Thinking

What Social and Human Service Assistants earn in California

Jobs in California
58,730
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$55,100
median $51,090
Best-paying metro
$63,980
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Related careers

Social and Human Service Assistants
$55,100 avg · 58,730 jobs
Social and Community Service Managers
$95,910 avg · 33,510 jobs
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other
$63,160 avg · 16,250 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing Human Services programs in California.

Which California colleges award the most Human Services degrees?+

California State University - Fullerton (205 graduates a year), California State University - Monterey Bay (75 graduates a year) and California State University - Dominguez Hills (69 graduates a year) award the most Human Services degrees and certificates in California, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 66 California colleges offer Human Services.

Which Human Services program in California has the highest-earning graduates?+

By median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard, California State University - Monterey Bay tops the list at $37,501. Compare it against graduates a year, graduation rate, cost, and debt in the ranked table above.

How much do Social and Human Service Assistants earn in California?+

The average annual wage for Social and Human Service Assistants in California is $55,100 (median $51,090), across about 58,730 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What is the focus of the Human Services program?+

The Human Services program, also known as Human Services, General, is an interdisciplinary field focused on meeting human needs through a comprehensive understanding of social and service technologies. It aims to improve the quality of…

What skills will I develop in this program?+

You will develop speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, monitoring, and related professional skills.

What is the job outlook for Social and Human Service Assistants?+

The national job outlook is about +6.4% growth with around 50,600 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034).

What is the typical education requirement?+

A High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education for this field (BLS).

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
PSEO graduate earnings2019–21 graduation cohorts (release V4.13.0)
Earnings and employment outcomes of graduates by institution, degree level, and field of study, measured from state wage records.
BLS wages & outlookOEWS May 2025 release
Occupational employment and wage estimates plus 10-year job outlook, used to connect programs to real-world earnings.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card