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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
47 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 10,171 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,708 and $29,897 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 47 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,428 and $121,375 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UChicago Social Work Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523.

Read full report on Social Work at UW - Madison

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State University - Main Campus are $37,141, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

IUPUI also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at IUPUI are $26,013, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Social Work Report

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 8 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora are $13,200.

Read more about Social Work at Aurora University

#7

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, Michigan State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Michigan State

#4 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, Case Western has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Case Western Reserve University are $47,958.

Read more about Social Work at Case Western Reserve University

#9 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UWM also took the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee are $25,295.

Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#10

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Wayne State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wayne State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayne State University are $37,215, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Wayne State University

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154.

Read more about Social Work at Loyola Chicago

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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