2023 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Social Work Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned a degree or certificate in social work, making the major the #13 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 284 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for social work majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Social Work
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in the United States for social work students working on their master’s degree. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
Request Information
Out of the 284 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the # 2 spot on the list. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Read full report on Social Work at St Catherine University
Request Information
Out of the 284 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the # 3 spot on the list. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Maryland - Baltimore. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore
Request Information
The excellent master’s degree programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in the United States. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.
Read full report on Social Work at San Jose State University
Request Information
With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Request Information
University of Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree social work programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Chicago
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of St Thomas Minnesota
Request Information
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UW Tacoma is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Tacoma.
Request Information
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Full Social Work at University of Pennsylvania Report
Request Information
University of Nevada - Reno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Reno, UNR is a public school with a very large student population.
Request Information
Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #12 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Full Social Work at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their master’s degree. Stan State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Turlock.
Request Information
California State University - Fresno landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree social work programs. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a very large student population.
Request Information
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #15 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.
Read full report on Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin
Request Information
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #16 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Social Work at Columbia University in the City of New York Report
Request Information
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
Full Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
Request Information
California State University - East Bay landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree social work programs. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - East Bay
Request Information
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report
Request Information
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #20 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Full Social Work at Washington University in St Louis Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #22, University of North Dakota did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their master’s degree. UND is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
Full Social Work at University of North Dakota Report
Request Information
Boston University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
Full Social Work at Boston University Report
Request Information
New York University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools ranking. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Full Social Work at New York University Report
Request Information
California State University - Long Beach came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools ranking. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
Full Social Work at California State University - Long Beach Report
Request InformationRest of the Top Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools
Honorable Mentions
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 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 44 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 45 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 46 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 47 | Alvernia University | Reading, PA |
| 48 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 49 | Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, MI |
| 50 | Widener University | Chester, PA |
| 51 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 52 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
| 53 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 54 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 55 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 56 | Howard University | Washington, DC |
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 |
| Great Lakes |
More Social Work Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Social Work
Social Work is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Social Work
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.