2025 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina
If you pursue a master's degree in
social work, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 869 master's degrees in social work to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
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 Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to social work students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other social work students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt social work students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized social work related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social work students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Social Work in North Carolina
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work.
10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Master's in Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.
Social Work master's degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn a boost of about $2,425 above the average earnings of social work majors.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
It's difficult to beat North Carolina State University if you want to pursue a master's degree in social work. NC State is a very large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.
After graduating, social work master's recipients generally earn about $46,981 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from North Carolina State University
East Carolina University is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in social work. ECU is a very large public university located in the small city of Greenville.
Master's recipients from the social work program at East Carolina University earn $3,913 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in social work from East Carolina University
It is hard to beat University of North Carolina at Charlotte if you want to pursue a master's degree in social work. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduation, social work master's recipients typically earn an average of $47,275 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $47,504.
More information about a master’s in social work from Appalachian State University
