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 University of Washington - Tacoma, Washington State University, University of Washington Seattle, and Eastern Washington University.
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 Gonzaga, University of Washington - Tacoma, Eastern Washington University, and Walla Walla University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Heritage, City University of Seattle, and Seattle University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider City University of Seattle, Heritage, and University of Washington - Tacoma.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Seattle University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Walla Walla University, University of Puget Sound, Seattle Pacific University, and Whitworth University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Seattle, Gonzaga, and Whitworth University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Whitworth University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Pacific Lutheran University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Sociology (completion in 1988)
• 1/31/2012
"I enjoyed my courses and relationships formed during that time in my life. Finishing the degree definitely made my job search easier. If I had to do it over again, though, I'd go somewhere smaller, and be a little more serious about school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Sociology provides no formal training for social work. However, for students who want to go to a four year college and are not sure what they want to do, it's interesting, and broad enough to be transferable to other fields. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | University of Washington is a reputable university for nearly all of the programs they offer. Sociology is a popular program there, and the school is a research university, furthering its popularity. |
| Program Quality | 4 | University of Washington is a very large school, and I was a young student who was not sure about the future. Sociology was a field I was interested in, and so I majored in it. There were often 200+ students in a course, particularly during the first 2 years, and the instruction was not personalized. I was also not a very serious student. |
| Instruction | 5 | Classes were taught by well qualified individuals, however the relevance to my work in social services was poor. Sociology qualified me for these jobs as it is a "related field." However, I do not feel that I got any training for social work specifically through my academic efforts. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Sociology classes were interesting to me and so I was engaged in the content and work. I was a young and lazy student, however, so often I ended up with a larger workload and closer deadlines than I would have liked. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Nearly all of my program was academic vs. practical. I did one internship that was related, and that was for one quarter. It was valuable. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | When I attended my undergraduate program, the class schedule wasn't particularly flexible. However, that was 25 years ago and now I believe that options exist to meet nearly all student needs. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | It was always easy to find independent resources that I needed to study (libraries, media, etc). Professors were scarce at the time, as many seemed more focused on their research than their students. |
| Social Life | 5 | I met a group of friends outside of my classes and we had our own social network. We shied away from organized anything. However, the school certainly offered these things. |
| Placement Services | 5 | There were career services in general when I attended UW, however I did not use them to get my first social services job. I didn't find that the center was that appealing, and I think I only visited once or twice. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I get mail from my school inviting me to alumni events. I find that these are not often relevant to my present day life. |
Seattle University • Seattle, WA
Studying Counseling (completion in 1991)
• 2/23/2012
"My BSW work from University of Washington taught me to be a Child Protective Services case manager. My MSW work from SU taught me to be a social worker - to build relationships, to work from a strength based focus, to work ethically."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The education I received at Seattle University was wonderful and relevant. However, Seattle University is a private institution and as such is very costly. At the average social worker salary, it would take a considerable amount of time to pay off the educational debt. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The MA/Counseling program at Seattle U is small and takes a back seat to their education and law programs. I haven't met anyone in several years who is currently in the program, however when I tell people where I graduated from, it is always met with approval. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My MA in counseling truly gave me an additional lens to see through in life and in working with clients. |
| Instruction | 10 | Much of my course work was around the idea of transformation vs. transitional work. It was and continues to be relevant to my work and has given me a good starting point for additional inquiry. |
| How Difficult | 6 | While the work load was enormous and required a great deal of reading and reflection, much of the material relied on instinct rather than intellect. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a great deal of reading and intellectual work at SU, but much of my learning came from two separate internships, role play and class discussion. We were also encouraged to do deep reflection and to share with our classmates as a learning experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | All of my classes were in the evening, allowing me to continue in my current employment. Additionally, I was allowed to complete my degree in a slightly longer time frame, which helped me to maintain employment and good performance in school. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | As noted before, Seattle University is a very small school. In the 1990s there were limited library and media resources. That said, my professors and advisors were supportive, available and offered much guidance. |
| Social Life | As I was a working graduate student, I didn't participate in extracurricular activities. | |
| Placement Services | I continued in my existing job for many years following graduation, so didn't use any career services then or any time following. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I rarely participate in any alumni activities and most of my cohort has gone on to other careers. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Social Work (completion in 2011)
• 3/28/2012
"I'm glad I chose UW SSW. I'm happy with the education I received."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Just recently, in my lunchroom, I talked up UW SSW to a young lady who has an interest in social work. It's always influx, so a lot depends on which professors you have access to. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It seems to have a good rating. It advertises itself as #3 in the country, but I'm not sure where we get those scores. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It has a strong SW department. Lots of flexibility in careers. |
| Instruction | 7 | Career preparation was decent. The school had little involvement in the practicum, which was a shortcoming. I feel the amount I learned in the classroom was sufficient. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I felt challenged, but never too much. I stretched my learning and grew from the workload. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | 3 days in practicum a week. Extremely hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Day program students are not given much choice. Extended day is where the class flexibility is, but then your program takes 3 years. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The library was decent, but they shut it down! Interschool loans were the best thing to have. |
| Social Life | I went as an adult learner and did not look for parties, etc. | |
| Placement Services | 8 | Emails with openings are sent out. Further help is available at the career center. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | Don't know. No one has contacted me at all. |
Eastern Washington University • Cheney, WA
Studying Social Work (completion in 2005)
• 3/28/2012
"I enjoyed my time at EWU and feel that I got a quality education. I was prepared for my new career and have a well-rounded educational background because of EWU."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I had such a great experience at EWU, both in general education requirements and with the social work program. I felt very prepared to begin my career because of my education there. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I have only heard good things about the program from other students who participated. I received good feedback from employers about my education with EWU. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My education at EWU was comprehensive and thorough. It covered many different fields and provided ample hands-on opportunities. The professors were passionate about their work. |
| Instruction | 9 | Very dedicated and passionate instructors, varied intern opportunities, and commitment to helping students achieve. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I was required to participate in classes such as statistics and ethics, which challenged me in many ways. I was expected to submit work that met proper academic standards. My internship was very comprehensive and required 30+ hours per week. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The social work program itself was very hands on. The general requirement classes varied, but many were hands on. I took an environmental studies class that had us use GPS systems to count saplings in Turnbull Refuge. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The schedule was varied enough that it allowed for flexibility. However, in senior year, many of the classes were only offered in the evenings at the downtown campus, which was challenging. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | During my participation in the program, the social work program facilities were relatively rundown. After graduation, they began a remodel. I always felt that I had easy access to my professors and study materials if I needed them. |
| Social Life | 7 | EWU has a great focus on social activities and clubs. There were often concerts and performances being held. |
| Placement Services | 9 | They worked very hard to provide intern opportunities that would create the highest likelihood of future employment. They provided community contacts and references. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I get frequent newsletters from EWU. I have also been able to keep in touch with my classmates through the alumni network. |
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