2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
Social Work is the #21 most popular major in Missouri with 924 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 13 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best value programs for social work students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Social Work Schools
Our analysis found Missouri State University - Springfield to be the best value school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in Missouri. Missouri State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri State are $8,294 per year. On average, social work graduates from Missouri State take out $27,745 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Missouri Western State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in Missouri. Missouri Western is a small public school located in the city of Saint Joseph.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri Western are $7,930 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Missouri Western accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
Full Social Work at Missouri Western State University Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Missouri Southern State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri list. Missouri Southern is a small public school located in the city of Joplin.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri Southern are $7,762 per year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Missouri Southern take out is $25,000.
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Out of the 13 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Missouri landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Warrensburg, UCM is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCM are $9,078 a year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at UCM take out is $30,050.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Missouri State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri list. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cape Girardeau.
Southeast Missouri State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,715 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Southeast Missouri State University carry an average student debtload of $26,300.
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University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #6 on the list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $11,475 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $22,343.
Mizzou did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Social Work Schools in Missouri list.
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Park University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri ranking. Park University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Parkville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Park University are $8,853 per year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Park University carry an average student debtload of $18,004.
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University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Missouri ranking. UMSL is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMSL are $12,015 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at UMSL accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMKC are $11,271 per year.
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Lindenwood University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #10 on the list. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lindenwood University are $18,640 a year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Lindenwood University carry an average student debtload of $25,738.
Full Social Work at Lindenwood University Report
Request InformationBest Value Social Work Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 2,131 |
| Kansas | 623 |
| Iowa | 553 |
| Nebraska | 262 |
| North Dakota | 258 |
| South Dakota | 20 |
More Social Work Rankings in Missouri
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 13 schools only.
- 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.