College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Social Work Schools in Missouri

11 Colleges in Missouri
911 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$44,119 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Work is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #13 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in Missouri to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 911 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 Missouri Your choice of social work school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for social work schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in Missouri list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Work in Missouri

The schools below may not offer all types of social work degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Missouri Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$50,632 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 social work students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from University of Missouri - Columbia earn a boost of around $6,513 over the typical earnings of social work majors.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Missouri - Columbia

2
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Social Work Degrees Awarded
5.3% Growth in Graduates

Saint Louis University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #243 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 94 social work students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social work degree program at Saint Louis University earn $4,151 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social work from Saint Louis University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Social Work Degrees Awarded
2.8% Growth in Graduates

Missouri State University - Springfield is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. Located in the city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #575 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 109 social work students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social work program make about $42,197 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in social work from Missouri State University - Springfield

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
150 Social Work Degrees Awarded
18.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Missouri - St Louis is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. UMSL is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #632 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMSL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 150 social work students who graduated with this degree at UMSL in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social work program report average early career wages of $41,611.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Missouri - St Louis

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,224 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 28 social work students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Missouri State University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social work degree recipients generally earn around $32,224 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social work from Southeast Missouri State University

6
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Social Work Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 16th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 40 social work students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent data year. Social Work degree recipients from Park University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,958 over the typical income of social work majors.

More information about a degree in social work from Park University

7
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In MO

Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Saint Charles. A Best Colleges rank of #654 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Lindenwood University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 9 social work students who graduated with this degree at Lindenwood University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Lindenwood University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Social Work Degrees Awarded
$39,295 Median Starting Salary

UCM is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Warrensburg. This university ranks 21st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 33 social work students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make about $39,295 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Central Missouri

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,532 Median Starting Salary

Missouri Western is a small public university located in the small city of Saint Joseph. This university ranks 40th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 16 social work students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Western in the most recent data year. After graduation, social work degree recipients generally make an average of $33,532 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in social work from Missouri Western State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, MBU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 26th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.More information about a degree in social work from Missouri Baptist University

Best Social Work Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 2,131
Kansas 266 623
Iowa 264 519
Nebraska 238 256
North Dakota 210 258
South Dakota 204 20

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 908
Child Advocacy & Policy 2
Other Social Work 1

View All Social Work Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options