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2025 Best Social Work Doctor's Degree Schools

14 Colleges in the United States
926 Doctor's Degrees
Social Work is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #38 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 926 doctor's degrees in social work to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Social Work Doctor's Degree Schools Your choice of social work for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality social work program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social work students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Work Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Social Work in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for social work students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in social work has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social work from University of Southern California

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in social work has to take a look at New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in social work from New York University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in social work needs to check out Simmons University. Located in the city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in social work from Simmons University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Rutgers University - New Brunswick if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in social work. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social work from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Fordham U is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Bronx.More information about a doctorate in social work from Fordham University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social work from University of Kentucky

7
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora.More information about a doctorate in social work from Aurora University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25 Annual Graduates

UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville.More information about a doctorate in social work from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

IUPUI is a fairly large public university located in the city of Indianapolis.More information about a doctorate in social work from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30 Annual Graduates

Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a doctorate in social work from California Baptist University

Social Work by Region

View the Best Social Work Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 3 majors within the Social Work area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

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