2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Far Western US region, there were 7,074 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,332 and $30,809 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 168 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that 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.

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 Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Far Western US Region

#1

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

#4 in overall quality

$23,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Portland State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Portland State University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at Portland State University

#2

University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington

#4 in overall quality

$30,294 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#2 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at University of California - Berkeley

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$76,460 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 152 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Southern California

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work

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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