2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work
87
Ranked Colleges
680
Degrees Awarded
$34,400
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Social Work is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 57,401 degrees were awarded to students with this major.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 680 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking looked at 87 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. That schools that top this list have a program in social work in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
Top 25 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work
Out of the 87 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 193 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Southern California Social Work Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Smith College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Smith is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Smith
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Clark Atlanta University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major. CAU is a small school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 5 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at CAU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Connecticut State University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major. SCSU is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Social Work at SCSU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full UST MN Social Work Report
Yeshiva University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Yeshiva University is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 10 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at Yeshiva University
Capella University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Capella University
Aurora University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Aurora Social Work Report
With a ranking of #9, Adelphi University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Adelphi University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Garden City, New York. It awarded 9 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Adelphi University
Walden University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #10. Walden University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Walden University Social Work Report
Tulane University of Louisiana ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Tulane is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Tulane University of Louisiana
Morgan State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Morgan State Social Work Report
With a ranking of #13, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Kutztown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #14. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 19 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UT Knoxville Social Work Report
With a ranking of #15, Norfolk State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Norfolk State
University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #16. University of Maryland - Baltimore is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore
Bryn Mawr College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Bryn Mawr College is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Bryn Mawr
Boston College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Boston College
Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Millersville is a medium-sized public school situated in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Millersville University of Pennsylvania
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #20. San Juan, is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Social Work Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Pennsylvania
Fordham University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Fordham U
The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #23. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full The Graduate Center Social Work Report
With a ranking of #24, Jackson State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Jackson State University is located in Jackson, Mississippi and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Full Jackson State Social Work Report
With a ranking of #25, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Case Western Reserve University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at Case Western Reserve University
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