The University of Texas at Austin graduate social work program is ranked No. 8 among the top in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 edition of “Best Graduate Schools.”
U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings, separate from the magazine’s yearly ranking of undergraduate programs, are among the most prestigious ratings in higher education. They are based on surveys of academic leaders and, for select programs, additional quantitative measures including placement test scores, student/faculty ratios, research expenditures and job placement success.
The rankings, released March 12, 2019, indicate a slight score difference among the top-ten ranked social work programs. The University of Texas at Austin is in 8th place. The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is ranked No. 1.
The UT Austin Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) program has consistently remained among the top 10 programs with each new ranking from the news organization since 2003. The next ranked graduate social work program in Texas is the University of Houston, ranked No. 24.
“The reason for our successful, top-five ranking is simple: our people. Faculty members at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work are leaders in the field,” Dean Luis H. Zayas said. “They are among the most productive scholars in our country, renowned for heading national organizations, serving as editors of major journals, and for influencing social policy.”
“We have an outstanding clinical faculty supported by a cadre of adjunct faculty who are some of the most experienced and dedicated teachers of practice you will find in any school of social work in the country. They prepare our students for the challenges of contemporary social problems,” Zayas said.
The Steve Hicks School of Social Work is central to The University of Texas at Austin theme, “What starts here changes the world.” The school’s nationally recognized researchers are building knowledge and bringing real solutions to core problems related to health and mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, poverty, and domestic violence.
“But it is not just our superb teaching, research, or publishing that has burnished our reputation,” Zayas said. “Our faculty, our researchers, our admissions office, career services and alumni relations office, professional development office, and the extraordinary support staff—these are the people that make the Steve Hicks School of Social Work such a proud reflection of UT Austin, the flagship institution of The University of Texas System.”