Social Work at Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus

Rowan College-Cumberland's social work program punches well above its weight nationally—graduates earn more than 95% of associate-level social work programs across the country. That $37,250 first-year salary jumps to over $41,000 by year four, suggesting graduates find stable footing in New Jersey's social services sector.

Here's the nuance: while those earnings look exceptional nationally, they're exactly at the state median for New Jersey. The real question is whether your student plans to work in this region. New Jersey social service agencies appear to pay associate-level workers considerably more than the national norm, which makes this program's outcomes less about the school's unique quality and more about the local labor market. The debt load of $15,803 is reasonable either way—your child would owe less than half their first year's salary, making this manageable debt for an entry-level human services career.

The caveat matters here: fewer than 30 graduates provided data, so these numbers could shift substantially with a larger sample. Still, for a student committed to social services work who plans to stay in southern New Jersey, this represents an affordable path into a field that typically requires just showing up and caring deeply. The 11% earnings growth over four years isn't dramatic, but it's steady progress in a sector known more for mission than money.