College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in California

25 Colleges in California
3,294 Master's Degrees
$53,122 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Work is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 25 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for master's degree seekers in the field of social work. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,294 master's degrees in social work during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree

Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in California The social work master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. We created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in California ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality social work program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work
Overall Popularity in Social Work

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for social work.

The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work.

10 Most Well Attended Schools for Social Work Students Working on Their Master's

1
1,200 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of Southern California is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a master's degree in social work. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were approximately 1,200 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

After graduating, social work master's recipients typically make around $49,900 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Southern California

2
230 Annual Master's Degrees
#5 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at California State University - Long Beach if you wish to pursue a master's degree in social work. CSULB is a very large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were approximately 230 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.

Master's recipients from the social work program at California State University - Long Beach make $3,778 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - Long Beach

3
184 Annual Master's Degrees
#9 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work needs to look into California State University - Northridge. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #9 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were approximately 184 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent data year.

Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program make about $53,800 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - Northridge

4
174 Annual Master's Degrees
#7 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at California State University - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a master's degree in social work. Cal State LA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #7 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were roughly 174 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent data year.

Master's recipients from the social work program at California State University - Los Angeles make $3,478 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - Los Angeles

5
156 Annual Master's Degrees
#4 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

San Jose State is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Jose. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were roughly 156 social work students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year.

Social Work master's degree recipients from San Jose State University get an earnings boost of approximately $16,778 above the typical income of social work majors.

More information about a master’s in social work from San Jose State University

6
126 Annual Master's Degrees
#8 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were approximately 126 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career income of $49,100.

More information about a master’s in social work from San Diego State University

7
103 Annual Master's Degrees
#20 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of San Bernardino, CSUSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were about 103 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career wages of $54,700.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - San Bernardino

8
99 Annual Master's Degrees
#17 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

CSUDH is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Carson.

There were approximately 99 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSUDH in the most recent data year.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from California State University - Dominguez Hills make $6,478 more than the typical social work grad.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - Dominguez Hills

9
93 Annual Master's Degrees
#12 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population.

There were approximately 93 social work students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $52,900 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in social work from California State University - Fullerton

10
91 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in social work in California.

There were approximately 91 social work students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of California - Berkeley

Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington184486
Oregon151303
Nevada100196
Hawaii84120
Alaska5333

View All Rankings >

Social Work is one of 5 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Social Work Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Social Work3,290
Other Social Work4

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Administration1,497
Public Policy480
Human Services55
Other Public Administration21
Community Organization & Advocacy4

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options