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Nursing Doctor’s Degrees

There are 2,114 colleges and universities across the nation that offer adoctor’s degree in Nursing. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about47% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 2.9% of Nursing graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Nursing Majors

In the most recent reporting year, 311,372 students earned theirNursing majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Nursing at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 2,663
Associate’s Degree 85,232
Bachelor’s Degree 153,340
Master’s Degree 56,706
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 13,391

Earnings of Nursing Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

The U.S. Department of Education reports a median salary for graduates with adoctor’s degree in Nursing of $80,149 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

This number may vary for many reasons. For instance, you may move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $83,453
4 years $80,149
5 years $90,156

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

The data on debt ranges for Nursing majors who have their doctor’s degree is not currently available.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with female students. About 84.7% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 640
Women 3,531
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

The racial-ethnic distribution of Nursing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 2,076 49.8%
Asian 365 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 385 9.2%
Black or African American 857 20.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 18 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 16 0.4%
Two or More Races 102 2.4%
Race Unknown 233 5.6%
International Students 119 2.9%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Nursing Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is not very popular with international students. Only 2.9% of graduates fall into this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 2,207 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Nursing. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Nursing students seeking a doctor's degree is Chamberlain University-Illinois. This school awarded 13,367 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#2

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 8,953 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#3

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

Western Governors University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 7,799 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#4

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5,116 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#5

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN

Walden University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4,948 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

The University of Texas at Arlington is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3,485 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#7

Aspen University

Phoenix, AZ

Aspen University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,999 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

West Coast University-Orange County comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,760 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Galen College of Nursing-Louisville comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,491 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Ivy Tech Community College comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,481 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of South Alabama is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,440 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio University-Main Campus comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,401 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#13

NUC University

Bayamon, PR

NUC University comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,335 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#14

Purdue University Global

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University Global comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,160 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#15

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,154 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,142 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Rasmussen University-Florida is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,063 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Alabama at Birmingham is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,053 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#19

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,035 people received their doctor's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#20

Frontier Nursing University

Versailles, KY

Frontier Nursing University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 1,021 doctor's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Nursing Majors to Study

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 256,965
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,847
Nursing Practice 9,206
Nursing Administration 7,911
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 4,379

Below are some popular majors similar to Nursing that also offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services 90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services 80,693
Public Health 41,086

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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