Best Social Work Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social Worker, All Other at a median $110,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Social Work Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer social work programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Amherst, MA 1.8 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,631
Avg net price $22,383/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 166

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts social work page.


Social Work Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker$56,660Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$56,547
Healthcare Social Worker$72,720Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$72,575
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$69,960Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$69,820
Social Worker, All Other$110,990Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$110,768
Social and Community Service Manager$81,650Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$81,487
Social and Human Service Assistant$44,900Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$44,810
Community Health Worker$53,850Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$53,743

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Amherst at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Social Work Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Amherst. The closest is University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Amherst, MA (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Westfield State University (21.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Amherst are: Social Worker, All Other ($110,990), Social and Community Service Manager ($81,650), Healthcare Social Worker ($72,720). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Social Work Programs

Other Programs Available in Amherst

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.