2024 Best Social Work Associate Degree Schools
If you plan on getting your associate degree in
social work, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #66 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Associate Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,721 associate degrees in social work during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Associate Degree
The social work associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality social work program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on social work students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other social work students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt social work students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized social work related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social work students working on their associate degree.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Work Associate Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Social Work in the United States
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in social work.
10 Top Schools for an Associate in Social Work
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in social work needs to look into Camden County College. Camden County College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Blackwood.
Those social work students who get their associate degree from Camden County College make $7,026 more than the average social work student.
More information about a associate in social work from Camden County College
It's difficult to beat Bristol Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in social work. Bristol is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Fall River.
Those social work students who get their associate degree from Bristol Community College make $2,578 more than the standard social work graduate.
More information about a associate in social work from Bristol Community College
13
Annual Graduates
$24,000
Median Student Debt
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in social work has to check out Ferris State University. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in social work from Ferris State University
Austin Community College District is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in social work. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a very large student population.
Associate recipients from the social work degree program at Austin Community College District make $3,779 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in social work from Austin Community College District
Capital Community College is a small public college located in the medium-sized city of Hartford.
Associate recipients from the social work major at Capital Community College get $3,499 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in social work from Capital Community College
Located in the midsize city of Brownsville, The University of Texas at Brownsville is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $25,232.
More information about a associate in social work from The University of Texas at Brownsville
Located in the large suburb of Paterson, PCCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $25,337 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in social work from Passaic County Community College
Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in social work from Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Located in the small city of Farmington, SJC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Soon after graduating, social work associate recipients usually earn an average of $22,669 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in social work from San Juan College
5
Annual Graduates
$20,356
Median Student Debt
Located in the town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public university with a small student population.More information about a associate in social work from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania