Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

64 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 57,106 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 64 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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 the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

Read More…

#2

Rush University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Rush University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Rush University Report

#3

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Mary’s College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. St. Mary's College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Full Nursing at Saint Mary’s College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. RFUMS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of North Chicago.

Read More…

#5

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bradley University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

Read More…

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.

Full Nursing at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

University of St Francis landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at University of St Francis

#8

Otterbein University

Westerville, OH

Otterbein University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Otterbein is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Westerville.

Full Nursing at Otterbein University Report

#9

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Marquette University

#10

Edgewood College

Madison, WI

With a ranking of #10, Edgewood College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Edgewood is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.

Full Nursing at Edgewood College Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
12 Lewis University Romeoville, IL

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 7,345
Ohio 13,973
Illinois 21,938
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.