In the latest rankings from the U.S. News and World Report, the UT College of Social Work moved from 46th nationally and 30th among public institutions to 24th among all social work programs in the country and 13th among public institutions.
“As many of you know, these rankings are reputational, meaning that they are really based on how our peers see us,” CSW Dean Lori Messinger explained. “I see this new ranking as a recognition of all the hard work that we have done over the last few years.”
Following the college’s strategic vision, launched in 2022, Following the college’s strategic vision,
launched in 2022, faculty, staff, and administrators have taken actions to further institutional commitments to enhancing the workforce, expanding the college’s research impact, engaging stakeholders, ensuring equity, and empowering sustainability. Tiffany Harmon, Assistant Dean of Finance, Administrative, and Operations, notes, “We made large investments in the college’s
infrastructure and communications, accessibility for students, salary equity for faculty and staff, and facilitating our strong and growing national research presence, and the results are plain to see.”
By remaining steadfast to the commitments laid out in the strategic plan, the college made progress in every area. The impacts of this work reach well past the college into the community, the state, and beyond.
Enhancing the workforce, expanding the college’s impact, engaging stakeholders, ensuring equity, and empowering sustainability are all commitments that have seen an increase since 2022. The results of these commitments reach well past the college into the community, the state, and beyond.
“We are now seen as one of the top 25 schools in the country,” Dean Messinger said. “Everyone should feel proud! I know I am. As a learning organization, we are consistently assessing community needs, new trends, and emerging opportunities to reposition ourselves toward the future. We are seeing increased student success, alumni engagement, research impact, and overall vitality of the college, all of which are reflected in our rankings.”
About the U.S. News and World Report Rankings
Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Graduate Schools rankings evaluate programs in a variety of disciplines, including business, education, engineering, law, and nursing.
The Best Graduate Schools rankings for Social Work were calculated and published in 2024 based on U.S. News surveys conducted in fall 2023 and early 2024. Two faculty members
from 319 social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education Board of Accreditation were surveyed (response rate: 39.2%). For each, respondents rated peer programs on a 1-5 scale of academic quality, and rankings were determined by the average of ratings each
program received.