UA School of Social Work Program Receives Top National Ranking

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s School of Social Work’s online master’s program has been named the top-ranked program of its kind by BestColleges.com.

The School offers a 60-hour program and 42-hour advanced-standing program, both of which are accredited by the Council of Social Work Education. Both options offer two concentrations: “Children, Adolescents and their Families“ or “Adults and their Families.“

Bestcolleges.com weighs metrics like graduation rate, acceptance rate, retention rate and enrollment rate to generate its rankings.

Dr. Tyrone Cheng, program director, said student opinions collected by the School often indicate they favor the online MSW program’s flexibility, which allows students to work full-time.

“Moreover, many students reported the responsiveness of our faculty to students’ questions and concerns through texting, calls, emails and constructive feedback,” Cheng said. “They enjoy the face-to-face interaction with other students and instructors at skills lab sessions, and their learning is facilitated by multiple tools — books, videos, and Powerpoint presentations in each course. And the online access to library resources is wonderful.”

Additionally, the School’s online MSW program was ranked No. 10 nationally by OnlineU.org.

“Even though I’m not on campus, they made everything extremely easy,” said Ashley Jones, a current MSW student. “Going through my first field placement helped me to realize just how much the course material prepared me to handle real life situations and how to conduct myself as a professional social worker. I really could not have asked for a better experience than the one I’ve had in this program.”