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2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region

50 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
5,096 Master's Degrees
$41,695 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Work is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 50 colleges and universities when compiling its 2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,096 master's degrees in social work during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree

Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of school for getting your master's degree in social work matters. One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region ranking is to help you make that choice.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality social work program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Associate Degrees in Social Work
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work
Overall Popularity in Social Work

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. Plus, you can view our other rankings for social work.


 

The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in social work.

10 Most Well Attended Schools for Social Work Students Working on Their Master's

1
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
460 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#4 Best Quality In IL

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in social work needs to check out Aurora University. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Aurora. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Illinois.

There were about 460 social work students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available.

After graduating, social work master's recipients usually make an average of $41,300 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in social work from Aurora University

2
425 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#1 Best Quality In IN

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis if you want to pursue a master's degree in social work. IUPUI is a very large public university located in the large city of Indianapolis. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Indiana.

There were approximately 425 social work students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career wages of $42,000.

More information about a master’s in social work from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

3
379 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a master's degree in social work. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Michigan.

There were about 379 social work students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

Social Work master's degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn a boost of approximately $3,105 over the average earnings of social work graduates.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
365 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work needs to take a look at Ohio State University - Main Campus. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Ohio.

There were roughly 365 social work students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career income of $42,100.

More information about a master’s in social work from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
322 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In MI
#6 Best Quality In MI

Located in the large city of Detroit, Wayne State is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Michigan.

There were about 322 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at Wayne State in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,400.

More information about a master’s in social work from Wayne State University

6
249 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#5 Best Quality In IL

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Illinois.

There were about 249 social work students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make about $42,600 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in social work from Loyola University Chicago

7
248 Annual Master's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In IL
#6 Best Quality In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Illinois.

There were approximately 248 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career earnings of $40,600.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Illinois at Chicago

8
223 Annual Master's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In OH
#1 Best Quality In OH

Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Ohio.

There were about 223 social work students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,300.

More information about a master’s in social work from Case Western Reserve University

9
199 Annual Master's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Illinois.

There were about 199 social work students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

Those social work students who get their master's degree from University of Chicago receive $2,005 more than the average social work grad.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Chicago

10
167 Annual Master's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WI
#1 Best Quality In WI

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Wisconsin.

There were roughly 167 social work students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

Master's recipients from the social work major at University of Wisconsin - Madison get $2,905 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in social work from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Best Social Work Colleges by State

Explore the most popular social work schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 219 1,793
Michigan 203 1,297
Ohio 195 1,020
Indiana 181 502
Wisconsin 166 396

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Public Administration & Social Service area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Social Work Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 5,096

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 1,453
Public Policy 540
Human Services 221
Community Organization & Advocacy 107
Other Public Administration 34

Notes and References

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