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Awards and Recognitions

Texas State University ranked a top school for online master’s in social work for 2023

Texas State has been ranked as one of the nation’s best colleges for online master’s programs in social work. Just six percent of regionally accredited postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position. 

RENO, Nev. (PRWEB) January 16, 2023 – Texas State University has been recognized as one of the best schools for online learning at the master’s level by OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD). Texas State’s social work programs earned top honors for overall quality, affordability and commitment to student success. 

See where Texas State ranked below: 

Most Affordable Online MSW Degrees – https://www.onlinemastersdegrees.org/most-affordable/msw-programs/

"This year, we focused on the schools making it easier for students to compete in today’s increasingly difficult job market,” said Kyle Darland, co-founder of OMD. “Each ranked school offers a fully or partially online master’s program in social work at a time when earning a master’s has become a minimum barrier to entry for many.”

Darland is referencing a recent survey from CareerBuilder, which found that “thirty-three percent of employers are hiring workers with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by those with four-year degrees.” These employers cited an evolution of the skills needed to perform the jobs as the cause of the shift, and an increase in work quality, productivity and employee retention as the result.

“Providing students with opportunities to get a master’s online is only part of our rankings,” said Darland. “Top-ranked schools also had competitive tuition rates and/or scholarships to help drive costs down. And with grocery, gas and other expenses on everyone’s mind right now, an affordable master’s is key.”

OnlineMastersDegrees.org analyzed more than 7,700 accredited universities by using data pulled from the schools themselves and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). After the data was compiled, OMD’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each of the different master’s degrees specialties. Primary data points include:

  • Academic counseling services
  • Career placement services
  • Student/faculty ratio
  • Tuition
  • Percent of students receiving school-based aid
  • Amount of school-based aid per student

To be eligible for ranking, a university must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online master’s program in the ranking subject. Just 6 percent of U.S. postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position. 

About OnlineMastersDegrees.org

OnlineMastersDegrees.org began in 2020 to support online learning at the master’s level. Our user-friendly, research-backed content helps students find scholarships, resources, financial aid, and connect with accredited colleges and universities across the country.


 

Announcing 2022 Ima Hogg Scholarship Recipients

Each year, the Hogg Foundation awards Ima Hogg Scholarships to graduate social work students who have committed to joining the mental health workforce.

An investment in their post-graduate careers is an investment in improving the quality of mental health services across Texas, where the mental health workforce is in critical condition. In Texas, many live in areas where there is a shortage of mental health professionals. This is especially true in rural areas of the state. Social workers can play a vital role in addressing the mental health workforce shortage.

This year, 19 graduate social work students from across Texas received scholarships of $5,000 each. These students, nominated by the heads of their social work programs, were chosen for their commitment to strengthening the well-being of communities as professionals in the Texas mental health workforce.

The 2022 recipients are:

Rachel Dorn

Rachel Dorn

Texas State University

“As a future military social worker within the Veterans Administration or service branch, I am looking forward to being a part of the solution to help my fellow Texans get the treatment that they need.”

Sarah Akhtar

Sarah Akhtar

University of Texas San Antonio

“As a social worker, I intend to develop integrative healthcare programs in underserved communities utilizing a holistic approach that addresses physical and mental health needs as well as the deficits contributing to those needs.”

Elia Bautista

Elia Bautista

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

“To me, one of the most important roles that a social worker has is being an advocate. Advocacy is important in helping end stigma and helping clients receive the equal rights and resources they need.”

Rebekah Carr

Rebekah Carr

West Texas A&M State University

“My experiences serving, engaging, and listening to diverse groups of people have drawn me into the social work profession.”

Katya Compian

Katya Compian

University of Texas at El Paso

“My experiences helped me realize that working with and providing support to the perpetrators of crime can possibly be the most effective way to protect future victims.”

LaJeana Demus

LaJeana Demus

Our Lady of the Lake University

“As a social worker, the impact I would like to make is for people to know that regardless of their mental health they can still achieve their goals. I want to encourage people to permit themselves to seek help and not be afraid and shamed.”

Destani Erwin

Destani Erwin

Tarleton State University

“My career goal is to continue helping families understand the facts about adolescent mental health needs and resources, with the overall hope of decreasing parental relinquishments and out-of-home Child Protective Service removals.”

Breanna Lee Hazel

Breanna Lee Hazel

University of Texas at Arlington

“I hope to become a mental health/substance abuse social worker and help equip people with the right tools to cope and manage with their everyday lives.”

Elizabeth Madaelil

Elizabeth Madaelil

University of Texas at Austin

“My long-term goal is to ease the process of finding culturally humble therapists with varied specialties, resulting in an increased availability and approachability of clinical care for underserved populations.”

Taylor Maestas-Miller

Taylor Maestas-Miller

Texas A&M University-Kingsville

“I want to continue learning and gaining experience in best professional practices in order to serve the most vulnerable populations.”

Samantha Montoya

Samantha Montoya

Stephen F. Austin State University

“Working in an intensive outpatient behavioral hospital has been rewarding– I have seen the difference it makes in the lives of individuals and how the support can make a change in someone’s life.”

Ouida Mosley

Ouida Mosley

Texas A&M University-Texarkana

“I hope to establish a standard that counseling is not a stigmatizing experience, but rather a rewarding one that enables individuals to discuss and process issues in a safe, loving, and nonjudgmental environment.”

Francis Okafor

Francis Okafor

Texas Tech University

“I hope to help people who struggle with mental health challenges and substance use disorders as well as spread mental health awareness in my home country, Nigeria, and beyond.”

Kathryn Pierre

Kathryn Pierre

University of North Texas

“My ultimate professional goal is to offer clinical services that meet and address the unique challenges faced by military servicemembers, veterans, their spouses, and their children.”

Raymond Saucillo

Raymond Saucillo

University of Houston

“I want to work in a healthcare environment helping patients and their families as they react to, cope with, and recover from illness.”

Hannah Shahan

Hannah Shahan

Abilene Christian University

“I plan to focus my graduate thesis on the lack of mental health resources at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and develop a plan to improve and change the current process that is in place.”

Rita Taylor

Rita Taylor

Texas A&M-Commerce

“By obtaining my degree, I will be able to serve and teach mental health/coping skills to preschool children as well as their guardians to reinforce learning. I want to make a difference and ‘be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.’”

Sydney Wheeler

Sydney Wheeler

Texas Christian University

“I chose to pursue a career in social work because my life has been blessed with the support and guidance of multiple clinical workers.”

Gabby White

Gabby White

Baylor University

“I want to address the disparities within the maternal health space that contribute to the high rates of Black maternal mortality and morbidity and provide mental health services to women as they go through each stage of the family planning process from preconception to postpartum.”


Related Links

Video correction: Sarah Akhtar is a student at the University of Texas San Antonio.