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 Lorain County Community College, Ohio State, Stark State, and Wright State.
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 Union Institute & University, Lourdes College, Kent State, and Cleveland State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Ursuline College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Wilberforce University, Central State, Union Institute & University, and The University of Findlay.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Ursuline College, Ashland University, Marion Tech, and College of Mount St. Joseph.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Wilberforce University, Union Institute & University, and Cedarville University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Wilberforce University, Bluffton, Cedarville University, and Heidelberg.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Case Western Reserve, Ohio State, Cedarville University, and Miami University-Oxford.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Wilberforce University, Central State, and Notre Dame College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Case Western Reserve, Capital University, Cedarville University, and Bluffton.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying Social Work (completion in 2012)
• 10/14/2011
"OSU provided me a solid background for my career as a social worker. I received the support I needed in order to finish my degree successfully."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | OSU is a great school for someone looking for solid training in social work. OSU prepares you for the real world. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | I had heard very good things about Ohio from my professors in undergraduate school. People seem knowledgeable about my school. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The clinical training was good. However, the theoretical perspective was narrow. |
| Instruction | 4 | There was good hands on training. The coursework was ample but served me well. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The work load was heavier than what I was expecting. However, all the topics studied seemed necessary. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Training was very hands on, with a lot of practicum clinical hours. This made me feel much more confident when embarking on my new career. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I had a fairly flexible schedule while in school, so I was not too concerned with this particular issue. Someone with a job with traditional hours may have had more of a problem. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I was impressed by the resources at this college. The library in particular was incredibly large with access to a ton of journal databases. |
| Social Life | 3 | I did not find much of a social life through school. The organized social events did little to draw me in. |
| Placement Services | 7 | OSU started career preparation from day one. We were always working towards establishing successful future careers. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have not had much experience with the alumni network. I could probably gain from utilizing it more. |
Ohio University • Athens, OH
Studying Social Work (completion in 2000)
• 10/7/2011
"I think OU is a wonderful college. They have a superior reputation and wonderful Liberal Arts program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Oh, of course I would. The tuition is priced right especially if you study at one of the many, many branches and then transfer at the end of your academic career to the main campus. You'll save thousands of dollars and get a wonderful education to boot! |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I have never heard a bad word about OU's SW program. They produce well-qualified individuals with a wealth of knowledge. |
| Program Quality | 9 | OU has many professor's that teach the SW classes that are actively working in the field. I think they bring a wealth of current up-to-date knowledge. Any one can regurgitate things from a text book, but to teach you have to have actually done the job. |
| Instruction | 9 | I feel I was very well prepared. OU is a good school and has an excellent reputation. I interned at local agencies and worked with many caring people. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It really depended on the professor and the class. Some classes, like Philosophy and Statics, were tough, while other classes were easy and fun. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | You did get to do some internships and work at local agencies. But there was plenty of book work, too. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | You could pretty much arrange your schedule for each quarter. You could choose to take the classes your DAR's report told you needed, when they fell at a good time for you. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was an "adult," so I wasn't really looking to make friends or "party" with other students. I had more in common with the professors and the faculty. |
| Placement Services | 5 | As I said earlier they do have a website and areas of the school where they post jobs. Beyond that I am not sure, I guess if you worked or stayed close to university resources they may have some inside tips on jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They have a website and boards at the school where you can look for work, but that is about it. I suppose if you stayed "connected" with school more than I do, you might find some support networks. |
Ohio University • Athens, OH
Studying Social Work (completion in 1977)
• 10/20/2011
"Ohio University was an overall good time and excellent learning experience. I am happy to call my self an alumni of OU and I am even happier that my son goes there today."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would definitely do more research on present day job opportunities and difficulty of obtaining internships, as I realize that is a seemingly necessity in the competitive job market today. Definitely a good school to focus on social work, though. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | Social work isn't a really an outstanding program at Ohio University, but it still exists so I'm sure it isn't terrible either. Plus the Athens area is predominately impoverished, so social work in that area is in high demand. |
| Program Quality | 6 | Ohio University's social work program is not outstanding, but it did get me a study job/income. Now-a-days I'm not sure that OU would provide such ease in obtaining a career in that particular field. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had several brilliant instructors over the course of my time at OU. However, many of the professors that I encountered were average or even a little bit sub-par. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I do not remember a tremendously heavy work load, especially compared to other fields of study. I know that the academic challenge wasn't too great, because I was so genuinely interested in the material. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Much of the learning done was through group work that involved social interaction and communication. We took a few trips to really get our hands dirty and see what the field was all about. Textbooks were still a must. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I referenced my son for this specific question. There are classes as late as 8 pm during the week and there are few classes during the weekends. Online classes are available as well as a separate academic quarters during the summer to take classes for credit. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Social work had no special facilities during my time at Ohio University. I'm almost positive that this still holds true. The library did provide me with sufficient information regarding my field. |
| Social Life | 10 | Oh goodness. Maybe you don't know already, but OU has a notorious reputation for being the number one party school. Greek life is a big thing, as is overall school spirit. Athletics are on the lower end of Division one competition. |
| Placement Services | 4 | When I went to school in Athens they never really helped me to find job opportunities. I found job openings through personal experiences (mistakes) that unveiled my genuine interest in becoming a social worker. These experiences provided me with ties into the job market. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | I don't hear from the school too often, but when I do they are welcoming us to come visit campus or asking for money. I visited my son at school several weeks ago and they let alumni into the football games for free! |
The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH
Studying Social Work And Psychology (completion in 2010)
• 10/21/2011
"I feel like I got the best education that I could have gotten for my money and I learned a lot. I was really prepared for my career. The best part was that they guided me through the needed information on how to follow through on the state requirements for certification."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | To me, there is not a better education that I could have gotten. I would recommend OSU to everyone because it's the full package. The nightlife, social life, and education are great. Even when you leave, you still feel like you are part of a family. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | I have been out of school for a bit now so I can't gauge the response as best as I could, but OSU has a strong reputation for higher learning. The Social Work College is very popular and many enroll. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The college of Social Work at Ohio State University is second to none. The professors are knowledgeable and they take the time to really teach the principles and the ground work. While one could expect to study the basics of therapy, we also looked at what drives people to behave in certain manners. We concentrated a great deal on pharmacological courses that could be applied to help those issues also. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors were not only people that had worked in the field, but were passionate about the subject and really wanted to pass their craft onto others. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The course was difficult at times because the workload was heavy. It can be daunting to go over the different medical terminology and the different therapeutic techniques and keep them all straight. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The hands on learning could have been a bit more developed. In group therapy classes we would often hold mock trials for therapy sessions to practice, but that is about the extent of that. It was more concentrated on book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | There are a number of classes and class times to fit schedules, but this can often be very difficult to schedule around your other activities and classes. It can become a balancing act to schedule classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | There are plenty of opportunities for students to succeed at OSU! There are a number of labs where you can go to work and use media but many of the students have their own equipment, like laptops, and work outside or in their dorm. That can actually make the library a nice place to go because on the weekends it's rarely crowded! |
| Social Life | 10 | School spirit is high and athletics are prominent! Football is very big at OSU and many people come to the Horseshoe stadium even as alumni to see the games. Even when there is bad publicity about the team, the fans are right there. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Career Services really helped me get my foot in the door even back when I was studying for my Masters. They help to make sure that you know and meet all of the requirements for state testing. Once that is complete, they teach you proper interviewing skills and help generate leads for you. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni network is strong at OSU! They send out newsletters, emails, and host a variety of activities every year! |
University Of Dayton • Dayton, OH
Studying Community Counseling (completion in 2010)
• 12/19/2011
"I had a great experience at UD. I enjoyed the faculty and I learned a lot."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UD provides great instruction and practical knowledge for anyone going into the field. Although it is expensive, it is worth it. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The program recently became nationally accredited. Therefore, in the last two years, its reputation has increased exponentially. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The UD program is very well-respected. The school works hard to make any necessary adjustments to make sure the program has what it needs. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors knew the curriculum well. They work at the school and in the community, in practices of their own. Therefore, there was a good mix of theory and practice. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I am a good student and I did not find this program to be extremely hard, but I am also a hard worker. I often went the extra mile, and I did well. However, I know classmates who struggled through various classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Part of our curriculum was a yearlong internship, so we had a terrific mix of book learning and practice. Even in the classroom, we would practice with each other. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The classes are offered on a standard rotation, which is not that flexible. However, there are night and summer classes available, and the professors are very understanding and will work with students who have schedule difficulties. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The campus is a nice one. However, I was a commuting student, so I did not take advantage of the many resources available. |
| Social Life | 5 | Our basketball program is fairly strong, so school spirit is good in that area. However, in general, there is such a diversity in ages of students that it is hard to get everyone involved socially. As a commuter student, I did not take advantage of any available opportunities. |
| Placement Services | 4 | The career services personnel are friendly and hardworking. However, they do not have a good grasp on the types of jobs available for social workers, so they are rather aspirational in their advice, when what we need is reality. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I receive the alumni news magazine, which is very well done. However, there is little interaction or support. |
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