Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Family And School Social Workers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Central Arkansas.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Arkansas Tech, Philander Smith College, Arkansas State, and Central Baptist.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider UA Pine Bluff, PCCUA, and Southern Arkansas University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Harding and UA Little Rock.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Harding, John Brown, Philander Smith College, and UA Pine Bluff.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Harding, John Brown, Southern Arkansas University, and Philander Smith College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at John Brown, University of Arkansas, and Harding.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Henderson State, UA Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas, and Central Arkansas.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Philander Smith College, UA Little Rock, PCCUA, and Southern Arkansas University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Sort Reviews By:Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
University Of Arkansas • Fayetteville, AR
Studying Social Work (completion in 2008)
• 10/28/2011
"Overall I think I was satisfied. I do wish there were more scholarships offered for social workers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I do love my job and I feel it is a very needed and rewarding career. But I think the field experience is paramount in making sure you end up in the right area of practice. |
| Program Reputation | I'm not really sure of the school's reputation. I'm not sure how it would be viewed nationally or by other schools. | |
| Program Quality | 7 | The School of Social work does have some great, experienced professors. It is also small enough that no student gets lost. |
| Instruction | 7 | The program is very heavy on the Multi Systems Life Course Perspective, but does provide enough "real world" experience to make it worth it. Great support. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Definitely challenging at times, but not terrible. The 1 year MSW program is very intense. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The internships give great hands on experience. Some classes also require that you practice in class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Not a very flexible program. The program would benefit from evening classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The actual School of Social work is a very old building, but the campus libraries and other facilities are nice. |
| Social Life | 8 | Great overall school experience. I made friends that I still see weekly, 6 years later. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The faculty are great about keeping up to date on the career options in the area. They work closely with area agencies to post job openings. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The program is heavily focused on group work and the "cohort." I think because of this, you leave with a ready made network of support. |
Arkansas State University • Jonesboro, AR
Studying Social Work (completion in 2005)
• 11/5/2011
"It was cheap, and gave me a good career. I would redo it if I had to."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Well, there are better schools in Arkansas, but it's pretty cheap. The faculty and staff are great. If you want to make friends and party and that kind of thing, this probably is not the school for you. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | It's nothing special, from the outside. The people who have attended praise it, though. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The teachers just had degrees, no real world experience. They were very supportive, though. |
| Instruction | 8 | The courses teach you every thing you need to know to work in the social work field. They build on your empathy and caring nature. |
| How Difficult | 2 | It all came very easily to me. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | While the book learning took up most of the class time, the quality of the hands-on work made it memorable. We had to volunteer at the homeless shelter. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | There are few teachers in the program, and they can only teach so many classes. I'd say its fairly inflexible. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | It was average. On par with other community colleges. |
| Social Life | 3 | Most students in my program were non-traditional students. They had other things to do besides school, as did I. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They did not help me get a job, but they told me everything I needed to find very fulfilling work in my hometown. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have never been able to rely on them; they help their friends more than anyone else. |
Online Course Finder
Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.