2025 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 27 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,352 master's degrees in social work to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree
The social work master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality social work program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on social work students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of social work students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for social work to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- 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 colleges for social work students working on their master's degree.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
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 in the Southwest Region.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Social Work in the Southwest Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work.
10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Social Work
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in social work needs to look into The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.
Social Work master's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of about $2,654 above the average earnings of social work majors.
More information about a master’s in social work from The University of Texas at Austin
Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those social work students who get their master's degree from Arizona State University - Tempe make $3,642 more than the typical social work graduate.
More information about a master’s in social work from Arizona State University - Tempe
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work has to check out The University of Texas at Arlington. UT Arlington is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Arlington.
Soon after graduation, social work master's recipients generally earn around $51,213 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in social work from The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in social work. University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.
Master's recipients from the social work program at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus make $2,246 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in social work from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $51,193 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in social work from Baylor University
