by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2021-2022, 58,923 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In , social work graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $37,585 and had an average of $29,565 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 12,549 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,224 and $29,189 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 192 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,674 and $121,130 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in social work.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Clark Atlanta University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region. Clark Atlanta University is a small school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 1 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tulane University of Louisiana. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region. Tulane University of Louisiana is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 58 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Tulane University of Louisiana
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Social Work Report
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Norfolk State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 2 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Jackson State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Jackson State University is located in Jackson, Mississippi and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Louisville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Kentucky landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UK is a large school located in Lexington, Kentucky that handed out 74 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Barry University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Miami, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. The University of Alabama is a public institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Louisiana State University is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Florida International University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Florida State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
University of Georgia did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Mississippi State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Mississippi State University is a public institution located in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large public school situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. It awarded 143 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 217 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. North Carolina A & T State University is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 84 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at North Carolina A & T State University
With a ranking of #17, Spalding University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Southeast Region list. Spalding is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 33 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
