Best Online Social Work Programs in Nashville, TN (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Nashville, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $89,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Social Work Schools to Nashville

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Nashville. Distances are calculated from Nashville city center.

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 Nashville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 2.4 miles from Nashville BOC Score34.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Belmont University

Nashville, TN 2.6 miles from Nashville BOC Score61.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 4.6 miles from Nashville BOC Score62.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, TN 8.1 miles from Nashville BOC Score52.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 32.5 miles from Nashville BOC Score56.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

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

Social Work Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker$55,630Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$57,767
Healthcare Social Worker$65,040Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$67,539
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$48,630Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$50,498
Social Worker, All Other$58,780Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$61,038
Social and Community Service Manager$89,840Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$93,292
Social and Human Service Assistant$43,860Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$45,545
Community Health Worker$44,440Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$46,147

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.

Nashville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Davidson County8,303 workers, 770 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Social Work Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Nashville. The closest is Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Middle Tennessee State University (32.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Nashville are: Social and Community Service Manager ($89,840), Healthcare Social Worker ($65,040), Social Worker, All Other ($58,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville 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 Nashville

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

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Online Social Work Programs in Tennessee (2026)

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