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2024 Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee

11 Colleges in Tennessee
1,237 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$34,784 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in social work, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #13 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 11 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,237 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 Tennessee Your choice of social work school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Social Work School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Social Work in Tennessee

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the social work degree levels they offer.

10 Top Tennessee Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
405 Social Work Degrees Awarded
14.3% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat The University of Tennessee - Knoxville if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were roughly 405 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make an average of $35,757 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Social Work Degrees Awarded
28.3% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Southern Adventist University if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Southern Adventist is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Collegedale. A Best Colleges rank of #273 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Southern Adventist is a great university overall.

There were roughly 60 social work students who graduated with this degree at Southern Adventist in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work major at Southern Adventist University make $10,314 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Southern Adventist University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Social Work Degrees Awarded
20.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Memphis is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. UofM is a very large public university located in the large city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were approximately 125 social work students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically earn an average of $35,496 at the beginning of their careers.

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

4
Union crest
Union University
Jackson, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Social Work Degrees Awarded
0.9% Growth in Graduates

Union University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Jackson. A Best Colleges rank of #579 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Union is a great university overall.

There were roughly 107 social work students who graduated with this degree at Union 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 $33,582.

More information about a degree in social work from Union University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Social Work Degrees Awarded
12.0% Growth in Graduates

Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro. This university ranks 12th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 92 social work students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. Social Work degree recipients from Middle Tennessee State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,331 over the typical earnings of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from Middle Tennessee State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Social Work Degrees Awarded
39.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 53 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga 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 $29,720.

More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
115 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$34,369 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were about 115 social work students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career earnings of $34,369.

More information about a degree in social work from East Tennessee State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$36,495 Median Starting Salary

Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Nashville. This university ranks 28th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 34 social work students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, social work degree recipients usually make an average of $36,495 at the beginning of their careers.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$32,240 Median Starting Salary

Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Clarksville. This university ranks 29th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 83 social work students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent data year. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make about $32,240 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Austin Peay State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Social Work Degrees Awarded
35.6% Growth in Graduates

UT Martin is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Martin. This university ranks 31st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 45 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Martin in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, social work degree recipients usually make about $30,099 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Martin


 

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
South Carolina 248 375
Kentucky 244 1,427
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 1,162
Other Social Work 75

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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