2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in California. In total, 18,329 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in California.
There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 18 schools in California to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences the best school in California for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Samuel Merritt University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.
Nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University take out an average of $171,304 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Point Loma Nazarene University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at UCLA take out an average of $86,978 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Touro University California is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Davis
California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
On average, nursing graduates from Fresno State take out $36,350 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.
University of San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USFCA take out while working on their Doctor's Degree is $93,193.
Loma Linda University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from Loma Linda University carry an average student debtload of $90,998.
Western University of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Full Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences Report
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Washington | 3,851 |
Nevada | 2,015 |
Alaska | 177 |
Hawaii | 535 |
Oregon | 1,502 |
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing Focus Areas
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Registered Nursing | 262,974 |
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,647 |
Nursing Practice | 8,862 |
Nursing Administration | 8,663 |
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 4,717 |
Nursing Science | 4,701 |
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,895 |
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,075 |
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 2,011 |
Nurse Anesthetist | 1,768 |
Critical Care Nursing | 747 |
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 622 |
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 567 |
School Nursing | 539 |
Clinical Nurse Leader | 502 |
Clinical Nurse Specialist | 340 |
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 269 |
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing | 262 |
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 192 |
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 87 |
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 26 |
Forensic Nursing | 23 |
Palliative Care Nursing | 13 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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