by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,651 and had an average of $26,679 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 11,649 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,366 and $28,905 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 84 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,087 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in social work. That schools that top this list have a program in social work in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The social work school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region”.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region doctor’s degree social work students.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Clark Atlanta University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Tulane University of Louisiana landed the #2 spot on the list. Tulane University of Louisiana is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 14 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region. UT Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Norfolk State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Norfolk State is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Jackson State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Jackson, Mississippi, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #6, University of Louisville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. UofL is located in Louisville, Kentucky and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Kentucky ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Kentucky is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 6 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Barry University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Barry University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #10, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. The University of Alabama is a public institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Louisiana State University is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Florida International University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Florida State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Georgia landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UGA is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 2 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #16. UofSC is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Work at University of South Carolina - Columbia
Mississippi State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Mississippi State University is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at Mississippi State University
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 111 students in 2020-2021.
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 182 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. NC A&T is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Full North Carolina A & T State University Social Work Report
Spalding University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
