by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Southwest region, there were 6,355 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,306 and $23,188 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 3,132 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 29 colleges that offer 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.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree social work students.
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Our Lady of the Lake University landed the #1 spot on the list. OLLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 309 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western New Mexico University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region. Western New Mexico University is a public institution located in Silver City, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 138 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Western New Mexico University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Arlington. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region. UT Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 679 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at The University of Texas at Arlington
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Baylor University landed the #4 spot on the list. Baylor is a large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 155 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stephen F Austin State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Stephen F Austin State University
Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. ASU - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 292 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 153 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 65 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Work at New Mexico State University - Main Campus
University of Houston ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 226 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 33 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 126 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Social Work Report
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M University - Commerce is located in Commerce, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Tarleton State University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. NSU is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Angelo State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. Angelo State University is a public institution located in San Angelo, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Abilene Christian University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Abilene Christian is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Abilene, Texas. It awarded 16 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 229 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Texas State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 full report on Social Work at The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
West Texas A&M University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #22, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas Christian University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Worth, Texas. It awarded 21 masters’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Work at The University of Texas at El Paso
Northern Arizona University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 43 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas Woman’s University is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 20 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
