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2024 Best Social Work Schools in Kentucky

11 Colleges in Kentucky
1,522 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$34,155 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Work is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #13 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in Kentucky to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,522 degrees in social work during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in Kentucky Your choice of social work school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for social work schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Social Work Rankings by Degree Level

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

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 the Best Social Work Schools in Kentucky. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Social Work in Kentucky

The schools below may not offer all types of social work degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Kentucky Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
346 Social Work Degrees Awarded
43.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Kentucky is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. UK is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were roughly 346 social work students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $33,478 in their early career salary.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
261 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$37,445 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Louisville if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the large city of Louisville, UofL is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #338 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 261 social work students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from University of Louisville receive an earnings boost of about $3,290 over the average earnings of social work graduates.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Social Work Degrees Awarded
3.1% Growth in Graduates

Eastern Kentucky University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. Eastern is a large public university located in the town of Richmond. This university ranks 10th out of 38 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 65 social work students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent data year. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make around $33,448 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Eastern Kentucky University

4
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Social Work Degrees Awarded
28.6% Growth in Graduates

Western Kentucky University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #903 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WKU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 175 social work students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career earnings of $34,334.

More information about a degree in social work from Western Kentucky University

5
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Social Work Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

NKU is a large public university located in the large suburb of Highland Heights. A Best Colleges rank of #716 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NKU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 145 social work students who graduated with this degree at NKU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work major at Northern Kentucky University make $4,258 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Northern Kentucky University

6
Campbellsville University crest
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
255 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$34,382 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Campbellsville, Campbellsville University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #984 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Campbellsville University is a great university overall.

There were about 255 social work students who graduated with this degree at Campbellsville University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically earn about $34,382 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Campbellsville University

7
Spalding crest
Spalding University
Louisville, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Social Work Degrees Awarded
45.5% Growth in Graduates

Spalding is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Louisville. This university ranks 12th out of 38 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 44 social work students who graduated with this degree at Spalding in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from Spalding University receive an earnings boost of about $6,197 over the average income of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from Spalding University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$26,989 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Murray, Murray State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 9th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 53 social work students who graduated with this degree at Murray State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $26,989 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in social work from Murray State University

9
Brescia University crest
Brescia University
Owensboro, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$35,047 Median Starting Salary

Brescia University is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Owensboro. This university ranks 1381st out of 2,217 colleges for overall quality nationwide.

There were roughly 91 social work students who graduated with this degree at Brescia University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career earnings of $35,047.

More information about a degree in social work from Brescia University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$27,189 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 18th out of 38 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 52 social work students who graduated with this degree at Morehead State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $27,189 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in social work from Morehead State University


 

Best Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 753
Florida 282 1,534
North Carolina 279 1,739
Virginia 274 1,010
Tennessee 269 1,162
South Carolina 248 375
Louisiana 242 859
Mississippi 234 595
Arkansas 234 400
Alabama 233 1,151
West Virginia 207 316

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the <nil> area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Social Work Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 1,510
Child Advocacy & Policy 12

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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