2024 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Ranked #3 in popularity,
social work is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,712 master's degrees in social work to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree
The social work master's 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 - The number of social work students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- 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 easy is it for social work to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- 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 colleges for social work students working on their master's degree.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Social Work in Illinois
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for social work students seeking a a master's degree.
10 Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Social Work
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in social work needs to check out University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.
Master's recipients from the social work major at University of Chicago make $2,689 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in social work. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.
Those social work students who get their master's degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive $3,898 more than the typical social work student.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Loyola University Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.
Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career wages of $42,843.
More information about a master’s in social work from Loyola University Chicago
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work has to check out Aurora University. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora.
Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $43,675 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in social work from Aurora University
Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those social work students who get their master's degree from University of Illinois at Chicago receive $2,404 more than the typical social work grad.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of Illinois at Chicago
Located in the suburb of River Forest, Dominican U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduating, social work master's recipients typically earn about $42,146 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from Dominican University
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Soon after graduation, social work master's recipients generally make around $37,608 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from Illinois State University
SIUE is a large public university located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $41,872 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in social work from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Joliet.
After graduating, social work master's recipients generally make an average of $38,092 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of St Francis
SIUC is a large public university located in the small city of Carbondale.
Soon after graduating, social work master's recipients generally earn an average of $38,421 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in social work from Southern Illinois University Carbondale
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