2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Master’s 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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 32,385 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 277 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 277 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 193 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 277 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 247 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, WUSTL has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 502 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Social Work at Columbia University in the City of New York
Out of the 277 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 199 students in 2019-2020.
UChicago also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 277 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #5 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 544 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Hunter is in the top on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter College are $20,828, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 379 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 167 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Boston College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 217 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Boston College are $31,930, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 174 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Los Angeles
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 248 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 91 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 99 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSUDH are $17,884.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 49 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.
Lehman College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 81 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Lehman College are $21,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 89 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Stan State are $18,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Long Beach came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 230 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, CSULB also did well on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 93 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Fullerton
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Smith College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 119 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Smith also did well on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Smith are $53,940.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 124 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.
Read more about Social Work at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Boston University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 355 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Boston U also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Boston University are $57,666.
California State University - Northridge came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 184 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955.
Rest of the Best 42 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
Not only did these schools make the top 42 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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