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2024 Best Social Work Schools in Missouri

12 Colleges in Missouri
925 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$36,228 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Schools in Missouri ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 925 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 Missouri 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

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 Missouri list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Missouri

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 Missouri Schools in Social Work

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

It is hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly 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 earn $6,099 more than the typical social work student.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,114 Median Starting Salary
$22,343 Median Student Debt

University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 social work students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Those social work students who get their degree from University of Missouri - Columbia make $6,886 more than the standard social work graduate.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Missouri - Columbia

3
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$41,115 Median Starting Salary

Saint Louis University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #244 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were about 89 social work students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from Saint Louis University earn a boost of around $4,887 over the average earnings of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from Saint Louis University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$36,894 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - St Louis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. UMSL is a large public university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #405 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMSL is a great university overall.

There were about 122 social work students who graduated with this degree at UMSL in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients usually make around $36,894 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Missouri - St Louis

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
106 Social Work Degrees Awarded
33.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 106 social work students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $37,265 for their early career.

More information about a degree in social work from Missouri State University - Springfield

6
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$42,430 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #327 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Park University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 39 social work students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work degree program at Park University earn $6,202 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Park University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$42,505 Median Starting Salary

UMKC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Kansas City. A Best Colleges rank of #480 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMKC is a great university overall.

There were about 40 social work students who graduated with this degree at UMKC in the most recent year we have data available. Social Work degree recipients from University of Missouri - Kansas City earn a boost of around $6,277 above the typical income of social work majors.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$29,402 Median Starting Salary

UCM is a large public university located in the distant town of Warrensburg. This university ranks 21st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 45 social work students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $29,402 for their early career.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Central Missouri

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$28,583 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 27th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 36 social work students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Missouri State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $28,583 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in social work from Southeast Missouri State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,866 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Joplin, Missouri Southern is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 23 social work students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Southern in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make around $29,866 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Missouri Southern State University


 

Best Social Work Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 2,131
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 922
Child Advocacy & Policy 2
Other Social Work 1

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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