2025 Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee
14
Colleges in Tennessee
1,272
Social Work Degrees Awarded
$44,119
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
social work, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #13 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,272 degrees in social work to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Social Work School
Your choice of social work school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Social Work School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Social Work Rankings by Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Social Work in Tennessee
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the social work degree levels they offer.
10 Top Tennessee Schools in Social Work
It's hard to beat The University of Tennessee - Knoxville if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.
There were about 424 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $45,362 for their early career.
More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
University of Memphis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. UofM is a very large public university located in the large city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #807 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.
There were about 136 social work students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, social work degree recipients usually earn around $42,535 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Memphis
It's hard to beat Southern Adventist University if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Southern Adventist is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Collegedale. A Best Colleges rank of #244 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Southern Adventist is a great university overall.
There were approximately 40 social work students who graduated with this degree at Southern Adventist in the most recent year we have data available. Social Work degree recipients from Southern Adventist University receive an earnings boost of around $3,423 over the average earnings of social work majors.
More information about a degree in social work from Southern Adventist University
Union University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Jackson. A Best Colleges rank of #538 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Union is a great university overall.
There were about 102 social work students who graduated with this degree at Union in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program state that they receive average early career earnings of $42,829.
More information about a degree in social work from Union University
Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #237 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.
There were approximately 26 social work students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from Belmont University
Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #802 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 134 social work students who graduated with this degree at ETSU 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 $38,515.
More information about a degree in social work from East Tennessee State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 62 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, social work degree recipients usually make about $27,923 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Murfreesboro. This university ranks 18th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were approximately 101 social work students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, social work degree recipients usually earn about $41,190 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in social work from Middle Tennessee State University
UT Martin is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Martin. This university ranks 32nd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 32 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Martin in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $34,240.
More information about a degree in social work from The University of Tennessee - Martin
Tennessee State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Nashville. This university ranks 29th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were approximately 38 social work students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $39,282 for their early career.
More information about a degree in social work from Tennessee State University
