by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 284 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 32,079 master's degrees in social work during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The social work master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality social work program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social work students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Southern California
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in social work has to take a look at University of Chicago. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Chicago
University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful decision for students interested in a master's degree in social work. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from University of California - Berkeley
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work needs to take a look at Columbia University in the City of New York. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in social work from Columbia University in the City of New York
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in social work from New York University
UMB is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Maryland - Baltimore
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in social work from Washington University in St Louis
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the city of New York, Yeshiva is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Yeshiva University
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Boston University
UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in social work from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Rutgers University - New Brunswick
DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Denver
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Ohio State University - Main Campus
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a master’s in social work from The University of Texas at Austin
Located in the city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Simmons University
Fordham U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bronx.More information about a master’s in social work from Fordham University
UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in social work from Loyola University Chicago
UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Storrs.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Connecticut
Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Arizona State University - Tempe
Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.More information about a master’s in social work from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 43 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 44 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 45 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 46 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 47 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 48 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 49 | Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
| 50 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 51 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 52 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 53 | California State University - East Bay | Hayward, CA |
| 54 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 55 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 56 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney, WA |
View the Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Social Work is one of 3 different types of Social Work programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Child Advocacy & Policy | 88 |
| Other Social Work | 51 |
