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2024 Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania

18 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,266 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$38,199 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #13 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 18 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,266 degrees in social work during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania The social work program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Work rankings. We derive our Best Overall Social Work School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Work Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Work
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Master's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Social Work in Pennsylvania

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social work degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Social Work

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$61,285 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a degree in social work. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 180 social work students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Those social work students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania earn $23,086 more than the standard social work student.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
246 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$34,833 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in social work needs to look into University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 246 social work students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,833.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

3
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
282 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$47,338 Median Starting Salary

Widener University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in social work. Located in the large suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Widener is a great university overall.

There were approximately 282 social work students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent year we have data available. Those social work students who get their degree from Widener University earn $9,139 more than the typical social work grad.

More information about a degree in social work from Widener University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
142 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$40,672 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in social work needs to look into West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #241 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WCUPA is a great university overall.

There were about 142 social work students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work program at West Chester University of Pennsylvania earn $2,473 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

5
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$39,779 Median Starting Salary

Temple is a fairly large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were about 169 social work students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $39,779 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in social work from Temple University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$37,181 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 43rd out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 90 social work students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $37,181 for their early career.

More information about a degree in social work from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$36,214 Median Starting Salary

Millersville is a medium-sized public university located in the large suburb of Millersville. This university ranks 50th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 136 social work students who graduated with this degree at Millersville in the most recent data year. After graduating, social work degree recipients generally make about $36,214 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$39,635 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #704 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ship is a great university overall.

There were about 65 social work students who graduated with this degree at Ship in the most recent data year. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make about $39,635 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in social work from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Social Work Degrees Awarded
7.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

There were approximately 57 social work students who graduated with this degree at Bloomsburg in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career wages of $33,938.

More information about a degree in social work from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

9
Bryn Mawr crest
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$45,043 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #422 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bryn Mawr is a great college overall.

There were roughly 66 social work students who graduated with this degree at Bryn Mawr in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work degree program at Bryn Mawr College make $6,844 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College


 

Best Social Work Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 5,709
Maryland 279 1,072
New Jersey 273 1,856
District of Columbia 188 243
Delaware 175 100

View All Rankings >

Social Work is one of 0 different types of <nil> programs to choose from.

Social Work Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 2,242
Other Social Work 24

View All Social Work Concentrations >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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