ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools

246 Colleges in the United States
34,707 Master's Degrees
$52,044 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Work is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 246 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 34,707 master's degrees in social work during the <nil> academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-services-public-administration//social-work"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json", major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 8
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 44.07), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Sociology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Sociology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 7
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 7 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 7
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 7 offers with relevance >= 1.0

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree

Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools Your choice of social work for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Master's Degree Schools.

DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-services-public-administration//social-work"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json", major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 8
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 44.07), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 2
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 2 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 2
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 2 offers with relevance >= 1.0

ADBLOCK #171

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Social Work in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Social Work

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
649 Annual Graduates
$61,298 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a master's degree in social work. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from University of Southern California receive $9,254 more than the typical social work grad.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Southern California

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
532 Annual Graduates
$57,712 Median Starting Salary

New York University is a great choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in social work. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the social work major at New York University make $5,668 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in social work from New York University

3
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
187 Annual Graduates
$52,551 Median Starting Salary

University of Chicago is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in social work. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, social work master's recipients usually earn an average of $52,551 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Chicago

4
UC Berkeley crest
University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
103 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in social work from University of California - Berkeley

5
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ
616 Annual Graduates
$54,225 Median Starting Salary

Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public university located in the city of New Brunswick.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from Rutgers University - New Brunswick receive $2,181 more than the standard social work student.

More information about a master’s in social work from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

ADBLOCK #172
6
UW Seattle crest
University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
135 Annual Graduates
$61,696 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Social Work master's degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,652 above the typical earnings of social work majors.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

7
Fordham U crest
Fordham University
Bronx, NY
911 Annual Graduates
$56,761 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from Fordham University make $4,717 more than the average social work grad.

More information about a master’s in social work from Fordham University

8
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, MA
564 Annual Graduates
$56,039 Median Starting Salary

Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.

Social Work master's degree recipients from Simmons University earn a boost of about $3,995 above the typical income of social work majors.

More information about a master’s in social work from Simmons University

9
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
430 Annual Graduates
$51,834 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $51,834.

More information about a master’s in social work from Loyola University Chicago

10
U-M crest
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
383 Annual Graduates
$53,431 Median Starting Salary

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.

Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $53,431 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

ADBLOCK #173
11
Ohio State crest
Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH
454 Annual Graduates
$50,524 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $50,524.

More information about a master’s in social work from Ohio State University - Main Campus

12
UIUC crest
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
197 Annual Graduates
$50,602 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, social work master's recipients typically make an average of $50,602 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13
UW - Madison crest
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI
130 Annual Graduates
$54,548 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Social Work master's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison get an earnings boost of around $2,504 over the average earnings of social work majors.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Wisconsin - Madison

14
UT Austin crest
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
142 Annual Graduates
$53,515 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, social work master's recipients typically make around $53,515 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in social work from The University of Texas at Austin

15
ASU - Tempe crest
Arizona State University - Tempe
Tempe, AZ
199 Annual Graduates
$54,503 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from Arizona State University - Tempe earn $2,459 more than the average social work grad.

More information about a master’s in social work from Arizona State University - Tempe

ADBLOCK #174
16
UCONN crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
134 Annual Graduates
$55,081 Median Starting Salary

Located in the fringe town of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a very large student population.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from University of Connecticut earn $3,037 more than the typical social work graduate.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Connecticut

17
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
273 Annual Graduates
$55,814 Median Starting Salary

U of U is a very large public university located in the city of Salt Lake City.

Master's recipients from the social work major at University of Utah make $3,770 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Utah

18
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
584 Annual Graduates
$50,809 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $50,809 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in social work from Aurora University

19
CUA crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
57 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in social work from Catholic University of America

20
IUPUI crest
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
394 Annual Graduates
$49,659 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career earnings of $49,659.

More information about a master’s in social work from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

ADBLOCK #175
21
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
110 Annual Graduates
$61,978 Median Starting Salary

SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from San Diego State University earn $9,934 more than the typical social work student.

More information about a master’s in social work from San Diego State University

22
UT Arlington crest
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX
658 Annual Graduates
$51,213 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career earnings of $51,213.

More information about a master’s in social work from The University of Texas at Arlington

23
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, NY
582 Annual Graduates
$60,587 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Social Work master's degree recipients from Hunter College get an earnings boost of approximately $8,543 above the average income of social work graduates.

More information about a master’s in social work from Hunter College

24
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
760 Annual Graduates
$49,483 Median Starting Salary

UK is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lexington.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career earnings of $49,483.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Kentucky

25
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
204 Annual Graduates
$51,167 Median Starting Salary

KU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lawrence.

Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $51,167 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Kansas

ADBLOCK #176

Rest of the Top Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools

26
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
27
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
28
VCU crest
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
29
UNC Chapel Hill crest
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
30
CSULB crest
California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
31
UT Knoxville crest
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
32
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY

ADBLOCK #177
33
University of Oklahoma crest
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Norman, OK

34
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, GA
35
CSUSB crest
California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
36
Pitt crest
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA
37
UIC crest
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL
38
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI
39
UofSC crest
University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, SC
40
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, OR
41
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

ADBLOCK #178
42
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ

43
UAlbany crest
University at Albany
Albany, NY
44
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
45
UofL crest
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY
46
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
47
RIC crest
Rhode Island College
Providence, RI
48
Salisbury crest
Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD
49
Colorado State crest
Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = "social-services-public-administration//social-work"
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json", major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = "social-services-public-administration/social-work"
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 8
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 44.07), keeping min_relevance at 0.5
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.5, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No relevant offers, showing generic ESYOH widget

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Social Work students that almost earned our Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
50 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
51 Baylor University Waco, TX
52 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
53 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
54 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
55 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
56 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
57 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
58 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
59 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
60 Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN
61 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
62 Boise State University Boise, ID
63 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
64 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
65 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
66 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
67 Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, TX
68 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
69 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
70 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
71 Lehman College Bronx, NY
72 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
73 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
74 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
75 LIU Post Brookville, NY
76 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
77 Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN
78 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
79 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
80 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
81 Touro College New York, NY
82 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
ADBLOCK #179

Social Work by Region

View the Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes
ADBLOCK #180

Other Rankings

Best Associate Degrees
in Social Work

Best Doctorate Degrees
in Social Work

Best Value
in Social Work

Best for Non-Traditional Students
in Social Work

Best Online
in Social Work

Most Popular Online
in Social Work

Best Bachelor's Degrees
in Social Work

Best Overall
in Social Work

Highest Paid Grads
in Social Work

Best for Veterans
in Social Work

Most Popular
in Social Work

Most Focused
in Social Work

View All Rankings >

Social Work is one of 0 different types of <nil> programs to choose from.

Social Work Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 34,563
Other Social Work 80
Child Advocacy & Policy 64
ADBLOCK #181

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Ranking Types
Athletes
Students From
Best by Location
Regions
Degree Guides by Major
Fields of Study
Popular Majors
Popular Majors
Graduate Programs
By Degree Level Popular Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options