Social work is a quickly growing field that allows graduates to enter the workforce and immediately pursue their passion of helping others. However, it can often be difficult to know what life will look like financially after graduating with a degree in social work. Understanding the median net income that can be expected after graduating with a social work degree from a particular school is essential in the decision making process.
In order to provide prospective students with this key information, SocialWorkDegree.org is publishing their second annual BSW and MSW rankings. The 2020 rankings use data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard to evaluate colleges based on their graduates’ median monthly debt payment and median monthly earnings. SocialWorkDegree.org makes these data easily accessible because it is important for students to understand the debt to income ratio they can expect after graduating.
Since accreditation is also an important factor for social work programs, only colleges with CSWE accreditation were considered for the rankings. Additionally, schools needed to have a reported median salary and a reported median debt on College Scorecard, as well as unsuppressed sample sizes for those data points.
The rankings include 31 lists, including the best campus-based BSW and MSW programs, the best online BSW and MSW programs, and the best social work programs by-state. The site also includes important information about social work licensure requirements in each state.
“SocialWorkDegree.org is bringing to light the information that is most important to students by answering the question: ‘What will my finances look like after graduation?’ As we enter a recession and student debt continues to rise, this question is more important than ever. We want to give students a clear picture of what their finances will look like after they enter the workforce with their social work degree,” said CEO Sung Rhee.
The rankings include 201 social work programs, between the overall and by-state lists. Top-ranked MSW programs include San Francisco State University and San Jose State University with a median monthly net income of $5,407 for graduates of both schools.
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