2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 2,158 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,938 and $34,282 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 18 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,213 and $99,210 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

#2 in overall quality

$31,930 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston College also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Boston College are $31,930.

Read full report on Social Work at Boston College

#2

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

#3 in overall quality

$53,940 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$68,219 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Smith College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Smith has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Smith College are $53,940, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Smith College

#3

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

#1 in overall quality

$57,666 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Boston University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Boston U are $57,666, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Boston U

#4

Simmons University

Boston, Massachusetts

#3 in overall quality

$21,698 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Simmons University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Simmons University is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Simmons also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Simmons are $21,698, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Simmons University Social Work Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.

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