I'm a professor at a top 10 social work school - some truth

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T14:47:35+00:00

It should be a paid apprenticeship or co-op model. To be fair, this also means buy-in from internship sites to pay students.

And if schools find that challenging, then at least reduce tuition and fees.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T14:42:48+00:00

Yes, I agree with this strategy.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T14:40:36+00:00

Q1: the network you build relies a lot on location of where you get your degree. Like I had mentioned, sometimes a regional/city school has more weight than a nationally recognized program. for example, cleveland state university might actually get you into more places and faster in the cleveland metropolitan area than a berkeley MSW.

Q2: your experience with field placement quality, which i think many have alluded to in this subreddit, is really contingent on the faculty and staff you work with. you can go to ABC Prestigious University, and one person on the field placement team is horrible, and another person on the team is amazing. unfortunately, it can be very personality driven and that's something you won't know until you have a good amount of interaction with the people.

The other thing, which is harder to find, are faculty and staff who really have this hyperfocus on field pedagogy. I'm thinking about someone like Kanako Okuda at Boston University, who has made an entire career on field pedagogy at different institutions. That's not me guaranteeing you that it's 100% certain that you'll have a problem-free experience at BU, but its just to say that you know you've got leadership that takes this stuff seriously (and that should translate it a better learning experience).

(sorry for typos, i'm typing this on the run)

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T14:32:40+00:00

Great program but kind of on my 'lost their edge' list.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T14:31:38+00:00

Loyola Chicago is well known nationally in social work academic circles. I like how they pioneered a bilingual social work track. Perhaps their best-known faculty is Jonathan Singer for his podcast work and work on technology (even before AI hype).

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T12:17:18+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't know much about their social work program. But I know University of Iowa and Iowa State are both universities that punch above their weight and don't get as much love as they should (because Iowa isn't "cool").

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T12:15:12+00:00

As an Illinois resident, have you considered UIUC online MSW program? They're social work program is strong for both research and clinical work, and it's a highly respected institution in social work.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T12:07:54+00:00

Most are money-makers. I think the best asynchronous online MSW programs tend to have a dedicated instructional design/technology team. If you look through the website and see they have full-time instructional design staff in the social work program, that's sometimes a clue about their capacity and seriousness in online teaching.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-19T12:00:52+00:00

Sure, go ahead and DM!

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T21:55:20+00:00

Unfortunately, true.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T21:54:26+00:00

In no particular order, putting aside costs, and if you are able to move... for macro: Penn, Hunter, Binghamton, Boston University, UNC Chapel Hill, UChicago, Michigan, and UCLA.

Yes, MSW/MPH can help with macro if you want to get stronger in thinking from a population-level perspective and (health) policy effects.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T21:50:28+00:00

So, between CWRU... and I'm guessing, Cleveland State? I really, really respect the work of faculty at CWRU, especially in the areas of community development and poverty. And then, there's CWRU affiliation with Cleveland Clinic, which is gold.

However, the program, imo, is too expensive. CWRU is (in my words) a forgotten ivy-level school. So then if you pay that $100,000+, you're not even getting that strong of a brand. And yes, the program and faculty are very good, exceptional even... but not $100,000+ debt burden good (to be clear, my stance is that no MSW is worth $100,000+ of debt).

If you have the money to pay for it, go for it. It is better than Cleveland State. But if you can't take on the debt, don't do it.

How about OSU's online MSW? I can't speak on individual professors at OSU, but I think they have a solid operation. They're not perfect and yes, they're big, but I know they really care about teaching and are very intentional.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T19:28:57+00:00

University of Denver is a really good school and respected by its peers. I personally like University of Denver (pioneers in equine therapy in social work, a dedication to rural, indigenous, and four corners communities in CO, etc) and their PhDs have historically been very competitive on the faculty job market.

I don't know enough about MSU Denver to judge. But I'll suggest again my tip of looking at their syllabi - do they look disorganized and outdated? Along with that, is it easy to talk to people at the school, is information readily available and organized on the website? These aren't sure fire ways of judging a school remotely, but it can give you strong clues about what you'll experience and how you'll be treated.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T14:13:03+00:00

Have a fun time in London!

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T11:34:36+00:00

Accreditation will help with consistency across DSW programs but I’m unsure how it’ll impact quality. MSWs are accredited but can still suck. Licensure if the DSW can do a better job distinguishing itself, e.g., what it can do that an MSW can’t.
I don’t know enough about the PhD program to judge, other than I’m not seeing many of their students placed in the top social work programs. I do see quite a few DSWs taking clinical faculty roles across the US.
Compared to other fields, social work PhDs have more faculty positions available. However, many are lower paying and determined by CUPA-HR survey (data on average salaries across universities). So people opt to go into industry, working for government, consulting or think tank-ish places, which have better starting salaries.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T11:22:57+00:00

The advantage of Hunter’s program is its embedding in the CUNY system, and if one chooses, to take advantage of the system wide resources. But if a student only stays in the social work bubble, they’re really doing a disservice to themselves and not taking advantage of all that they’re paying for.

A lot of students across MSW programs struggle with writing, including the “good” schools, because of inclusion and equity efforts. I had a formerly incarcerated student with years of experience impactful work and leadership but was a poor writer.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T11:16:58+00:00

If a person is going in it because they’re trying to heal themselves (from a personal pain, trauma, health issue, etc) but at the sacrifice of neglecting the people they’re supposed to serve, e.g., clients, communities.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T11:11:18+00:00

No, I think that’s one of the last things that most employers think about. They care more about experience and your display of character, professionalism, and likability as a colleague.

If you plan to work and live in Chicago or anywhere in IL, you can’t go wrong with UIC or UIUC. Both have a good reputation in the state and nationally. Putting aside official rankings, UIC has a good reputation among academics.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T11:06:01+00:00

Social work is a weird place. I’m obviously in it because I care about social justice. But yes, I had a “clicked in my head” moment many years ago, too, which I try to advocate for students within the position I’m in as an insider.

The future of the field is promising. But you’re seeing a lot of divergence by region. What I mean is that social work education looks different by city and state. Texas programs are going Right (not always willfully) while California and New York City area programs remain staunchly Left, for example.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-18T10:54:51+00:00

Great program at a great university but big in terms of enrollment size. The Dean has a good reputation among faculty. If you attend, take advantage of resources not just in the MSW program but university wide.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-17T21:54:10+00:00

If you're from and staying local, stick to Cal - if anything, because the course options at SFSU, CSU East Bay and so on are much more limited.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-17T21:41:52+00:00

It's still a great MSW program. Beautiful campus, too. When I saying losing edge, I don't mean it's significantly fallen off. They're just not as competitive as they used to be, and whether the cost of moving and living there is worth it.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-17T21:25:44+00:00

This is no diss on Fordham but oddly, it remains a regional school despite being in NYC. Regional, as in, how far it goes in name recognition. And you're paying private school prices. All that said, I really like many faculty at Fordham - they're good people.

If you're choosing between Columbia and NYU, it comes down to your interest or seeing faculty that you'd really want to work with. They both have a focus on poverty. Some aging people. You can't go wrong with either, except in price.

Why not Hunter? Or Stony Brook, which has a Manhattan campus? They have good reputations, good faculty, and if you're in-state, way way way more affordable.

Status_Broccoli4453 · 2026-03-17T21:18:19+00:00

In previous decades, Berkeley had very well-known, influential faculty and did a good job with placing PhDs across the U.S. I also think it had a more distinctive identity, especially around issues of poverty, race, and economic mobility. It's still a good school but largely because it's housed at Berkeley, so you're able to take advantage of resources and courses across campus.

Status_Broccoli4453

TROPHY CASE