2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Pennsylvania
18
Ranked Colleges
1,430
Degrees Awarded
$30,700
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 58,037 degrees handed out in 2021-2022, social work is the 9th most popular major in the United States.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 2,404 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,430 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,037 and $44,515 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in social work. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social work program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania”.
Top 18 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Widener University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania. Located in Chester, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 288 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Widener Social Work Report
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Bryn Mawr College landed the #2 spot on the list. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 79 students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Bryn Mawr College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marywood University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. Marywood is a small school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania that handed out 82 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Marywood University
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Millersville, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Alvernia University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #6. Alvernia is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Reading, Pennsylvania. It awarded 17 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Alvernia University
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 207 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Social Work Report
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 56 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Social Work Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 149 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at UPenn
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 122 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Read more about Social Work at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Carlow University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Carlow University
With a ranking of #12, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. Kutztown University is a public institution located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Temple University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #14. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 113 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Temple Social Work Report
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. SRU is a public institution located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full SRU Social Work Report
La Salle University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. La Salle University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 34 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 La Salle University Social Work Report
Eastern University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in Pennsylvania list. Eastern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Eastern University
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
