College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania

14 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,424 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$44,119 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #13 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 14 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of social work. Combined, these schools handed out 2,424 degrees in social work to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania The social work program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Work rankings. We derive our Best Overall Social Work School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Work Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Work
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Master's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Work in Pennsylvania

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social work degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
265 Social Work Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in social work has to check out University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 265 social work students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work program at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus earn $3,617 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

2
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 Social Work Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

Widener University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in social work. Located in the suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #344 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Widener is a great university overall.

There were approximately 303 social work students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work program at Widener University get $11,490 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social work from Widener University

3
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
177 Social Work Degrees Awarded
4.5% Growth in Graduates

Temple University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in social work. Temple is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 177 social work students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work program at Temple University earn $4,504 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Temple University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$41,157 Median Starting Salary

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #616 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kutztown University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 87 social work students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients generally earn an average of $41,157 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Social Work Degrees Awarded
13.9% Growth in Graduates

Millersville is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Millersville. This university ranks 53rd out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 158 social work students who graduated with this degree at Millersville in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,386.

More information about a degree in social work from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Social Work Degrees Awarded
33.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 45th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 97 social work students who graduated with this degree at Ship in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career income of $43,261.

More information about a degree in social work from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Social Work Degrees Awarded
26.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 56 social work students who graduated with this degree at SRU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career earnings of $32,316.

More information about a degree in social work from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
44th Most Popular In PA
69.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #536 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means HACC is a great college overall.

There were about 13 social work students who graduated with this degree at HACC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Harrisburg Area Community College

9
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30th Most Popular In PA
29.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 40th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 17 social work students who graduated with this degree at Messiah in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Messiah University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In PA
35 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Reading, Alvernia is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 52nd out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 35 social work students who graduated with this degree at Alvernia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Alvernia University

Best Social Work Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 5,709
Maryland 279 1,072
New Jersey 273 1,856
District of Columbia 188 243
Delaware 175 100

View All Rankings >

Social Work is one of 0 different types of <nil> programs to choose from.

Social Work Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 2,404
Other Social Work 19
Child Advocacy & Policy 1

View All Social Work Concentrations >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options