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Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

48 Colleges
$44,665 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Work Master's Degree School for You

With 33,631 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social work is the #6 most popular major in the United States.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Social Work Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Social Work Master's Degree Schools

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best school for social work students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Social Work at University of Chicago Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for social work students working on their master’s degree. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

Full Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

Out of the 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 3 spot on the list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.

Full Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

Case Western Reserve University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#7

Erikson Institute

Chicago, IL

Erikson Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, The Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Social Work at Erikson Institute

#8

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, MI

Saginaw Valley State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of University Center.

Full Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University Report

With a ranking of #9, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a large student population.

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Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus.

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Best Social Work Colleges by State

Explore the best social work colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,332
Illinois 1,812
Ohio 1,001
Indiana 615
Wisconsin 448

Social Work is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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