Best Research Universities for Social Work Degrees

Best Research Universities for Social Work Degrees

By James Barham

Published: Nov 9, 2021
Updated: May 22, 2023

The best social work research universities are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best social work degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding social work faculty.

Top 10 Research Universities Social Work Programs

University of California, Berkeley

87%

New York University

81%

University of Pennsylvania

80%

University of Wisconsin–Madison

75%

University of Washington

73%

University of Texas at Austin

73%

Ohio State University

68%

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

68%

George Washington University

66%

University of Georgia

63%

Liberty University

99%

University of Detroit Mercy

93%

Miami University

89%

University of Alabama

79%

Loyola University Chicago

77%

Texas A&M University

64%

Florida International University

64%

University of Wisconsin–Madison

60%

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

60%

Fordham University

58%

University of Central Florida

31 to 1

San Diego State University

27 to 1

Florida International University

25 to 1

Florida State University

21 to 1

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

20 to 1

University of Washington

20 to 1

University of Alabama

20 to 1

Texas A&M University

19 to 1

Ohio State University

19 to 1

University of California, Berkeley

19 to 1

University of Pennsylvania

$61,710

George Washington University

$59,870

New York University

$56,500

Fordham University

$56,161

Texas Christian University

$51,660

Baylor University

$50,232

Loyola University Chicago

$47,808

University of Detroit Mercy

$30,154

Liberty University

$22,713

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

$14,446

University of Pennsylvania

$38,732

Baylor University

$37,674

New York University

$35,982

George Washington University

$32,850

Texas Christian University

$32,220

Fordham University

$23,112

University of Detroit Mercy

$21,276

Loyola University Chicago

$18,990

University of Washington

$16,605

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

$14,635

Florida A&M University

39%

Liberty University

40%

University of Detroit Mercy

42%

Texas Christian University

42%

University of Central Florida

48%

Florida International University

49%

San Diego State University

51%

Loyola University Chicago

52%

Miami University

53%

Baylor University

55%

University of Pennsylvania

6%

New York University

13%

University of California, Berkeley

14%

University of Texas at Austin

29%

Florida A&M University

35%

University of Central Florida

36%

Florida State University

37%

San Diego State University

38%

University of Georgia

40%

North Carolina State University

47%

University of Pennsylvania

6 to 1

New York University

8 to 1

University of Detroit Mercy

11 to 1

Texas Christian University

13 to 1

Fordham University

13 to 1

George Washington University

13 to 1

Florida A&M University

14 to 1

Loyola University Chicago

14 to 1

North Carolina State University

14 to 1

Baylor University

15 to 1

Florida A&M University

$3,152

University of Central Florida

$4,478

Florida State University

$4,640

Florida International University

$4,721

San Diego State University

$5,742

North Carolina State University

$6,535

Texas A&M University

$8,578

University of Wisconsin–Madison

$9,273

University of Georgia

$9,790

University of Alabama

$10,780

Texas A&M University

$6,885

University of Central Florida

$6,916

San Diego State University

$7,176

Liberty University

$7,847

Florida A&M University

$8,019

University of Georgia

$8,878

Florida International University

$8,912

North Carolina State University

$9,095

Florida State University

$9,684

University of Wisconsin–Madison

$10,728

Table of Contents

A bachelor’s degree in social work is an excellent starting point for a career in counseling, case work, rehabilitation, and numerous other important areas of public health and welfare. As a social work major, you’ll learn about the administration of social services, distribution of resources for social welfare, and public outreach to vulnerable groups. As a social worker, you’ll be working closely with communities, populations, families and individuals who are facing challenge, disadvantage, and crisis. The best schools for social work are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of social work concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Work Bachelor’s Degrees

Related: How to Major in Social Work

Best Research Universities for Social Work Degrees Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

If you think a liberal arts college may be a better fit for you, see our ranking of the best liberal arts colleges for a bachelor’s in social work.

How do we determine the best social work research universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Influence”.

The influence of a college or university is based on the schools’s top academic influencers related to the discipline in this ranking. We track the influence of faculty and alumni affiliate with these school counting not only the publications and citations of the school’s affiliated people, but we also consider the overall web presence of the faculty and alumni. The greater the citations, authority of web links, web searches, and page views, the greater the individuals’s influence. Those combined make up the departments’s influence in the field of study. We believe tracking the academic influence of the people affiliated with a school is the best indicator of academic excellence.

If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and misused performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is more insulated from manipulation, and more reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Ranking: Best Research Universities for Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Go to all Research Universities for Social Work programs

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