Ranked #3 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2022, College Factual analyzed 77 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,199 master's degrees in social work during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of school for getting your master's degree in social work matters.
We created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Southeast Region ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.
A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for social work, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.
We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process.
To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above.
If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location.
Plus, you can view our other rankings for social work.
Most Popular Schools for Master’s Students to Study Social Work in the Southeast Region
Learn about the most popular colleges and universities for social work students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
11 Most Well Attended Schools for Social Work Students Working on Their Master's
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in social work has to take a look at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. Louisiana State University is a very large public university located in the city of Baton Rouge. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Louisiana.
There were roughly 319 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at Louisiana State University in the most recent data year.
The University of Alabama is a popular decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in social work. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Alabama.
There were roughly 255 social work students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent year we have data available.
Soon after graduating, social work master's recipients usually make around $37,000 in their early careers.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a popular option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in social work. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public university located in the city of Knoxville. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Tennessee.
There were roughly 243 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available.
Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career income of $38,500.
University of Louisville is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a master's degree in social work. UofL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Louisville. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Kentucky.
There were roughly 208 social work students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent year we have data available.
Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career earnings of $40,100.
Campbellsville University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the town of Campbellsville. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Kentucky.
There were approximately 204 social work students who graduated with this degree at Campbellsville University in the most recent year we have data available.
Students who graduate with their master's from the social work program report average early career wages of $35,300.
Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a very 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 Florida.
There were roughly 194 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent data year.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $33,700 in the first couple years of working.
There were about 173 social work students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year.
Master's recipients from the social work major at Virginia Commonwealth University earn $3,577 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in social work in North Carolina.
There were approximately 142 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year.
Master's recipients from the social work major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $2,777 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the suburb of Miami, Barry University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for master's degrees in social work in Florida.
There were roughly 136 social work individuals who graduated with this degree at Barry University in the most recent year we have data available.
Master's recipients from the social work program at Barry University get $2,377 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Southeast Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).