College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region

50 Colleges in the Plains States Region
4,791 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$39,939 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.

College Factual looked at 50 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,791 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 the Plains States Region 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

Associate Degrees in Social Work
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 the Plains States Region. 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 the Plains States Region

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 Plains States Region Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
267 Social Work Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

Washington University in St Louis is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in social work. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 267 social work students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Those social work students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis make $2,388 more than the average social work grad.

More information about a degree in social work from Washington University in St Louis

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Social Work Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

Winona State University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in social work. Winona State is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Winona. This university ranks 17th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 81 social work students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $40,999 in their early career salary.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$50,156 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 117 social work students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work major at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get $10,217 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$63,429 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of St Thomas Minnesota if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.

There were about 147 social work students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work degree program at University of St Thomas Minnesota make $23,490 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from University of St Thomas Minnesota

5
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
224 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$37,774 Median Starting Salary

KU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 224 social work students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $37,774 in their early career salary.

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

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Social Work Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 174 social work students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $37,188 for their early career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$42,174 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #296 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Scholastica is a great college overall.

There were approximately 105 social work students who graduated with this degree at St. Scholastica in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from The College of Saint Scholastica get an earnings boost of about $2,235 above the average earnings of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from The College of Saint Scholastica

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$39,480 Median Starting Salary

MSU Moorhead is a small public university located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead. This university ranks 25th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 57 social work students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead 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 $39,480.

More information about a degree in social work from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

9
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Social Work Degrees Awarded
13.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #145 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Capella University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 69 social work students who graduated with this degree at Capella University in the most recent data year. Those social work students who get their degree from Capella University receive $43,669 more than the standard social work graduate.

More information about a degree in social work from Capella University

10
St. Kate's crest
St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Social Work Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 16th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 66 social work students who graduated with this degree at St. Kate's in the most recent data year. Those social work students who get their degree from St Catherine University receive $2,523 more than the typical social work grad.

More information about a degree in social work from St Catherine University


 

Best Social Work Colleges by State

Explore the best social work schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 2,131
Missouri 283 920
Kansas 266 623
Iowa 264 519
Nebraska 238 256
North Dakota 210 258
South Dakota 204 20

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 4,748
Other Social Work 39
Child Advocacy & Policy 4

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options