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2025 Best Social Work Schools in the Southwest Region

45 Colleges in the Southwest Region
6,330 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 45 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 6,330 degrees in social work to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in the Southwest Region 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

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

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 the Southwest Region 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 the Southwest Region

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 Southwest Region Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
453 Social Work Degrees Awarded
0.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in social work has to look into Arizona State University - Tempe. ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 453 social work students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe get an earnings boost of approximately $6,394 above the average income of social work majors.

More information about a degree in social work from Arizona State University - Tempe

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
221 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$49,810 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 221 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social work program at The University of Texas at Austin make $5,691 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
852 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$49,456 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Arlington is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #304 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Arlington is a great university overall.

There were about 852 social work students who graduated with this degree at UT Arlington in the most recent year we have data available. Those social work students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Arlington make $5,337 more than the average social work graduate.

More information about a degree in social work from The University of Texas at Arlington

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
277 Social Work Degrees Awarded
27.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Oklahoma Norman Campus if you want to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were about 277 social work students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus earn a boost of approximately $8,988 above the average income of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$51,193 Median Starting Salary

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 186 social work students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available. Social Work degree recipients from Baylor University earn a boost of around $7,074 above the average income of social work graduates.

More information about a degree in social work from Baylor University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Social Work Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 364 social work students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients typically make an average of $39,017 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Grand Canyon University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
221 Social Work Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 221 social work students who graduated with this degree at NAU 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 $38,412.

More information about a degree in social work from Northern Arizona University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
288 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$51,192 Median Starting Salary

OLLU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Antonio. This university ranks 47th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 288 social work students who graduated with this degree at OLLU in the most recent year we have data available. Those social work students who get their degree from Our Lady of the Lake University receive $7,073 more than the average social work graduate.

More information about a degree in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$49,974 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 47 social work students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from Texas Christian University receive an earnings boost of about $5,855 over the average income of social work majors.

More information about a degree in social work from Texas Christian University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Social Work Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

South Texas College is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of McAllen. This college ranks 19th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 111 social work students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients usually earn around $18,336 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social work from South Texas College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Social Work students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Social Work Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
12 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
13 University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ
14 University of North Texas Denton, TX
15 Tulsa Community College Tulsa, OK

Best Social Work Colleges by State

Explore the best social work colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 4,142
Arizona 287 1,284
Oklahoma 257 335
New Mexico 219 351

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the <nil> area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Social Work Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 6,294
Other Social Work 24
Child Advocacy & Policy 12

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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