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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

46 Colleges
$101,387 Avg Salary
$40,791 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 55,295 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 46 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the nursing graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of St Francis the best school in the Great Lakes Region for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate 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.

Full Nursing at Bradley University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Wisconsin. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Concordia University, Wisconsin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mequon.

Full Nursing at Concordia University, Wisconsin Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Herzing University - Madison. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, Herzing University - Madison is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Herzing University - Madison

#6

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Lewis University Report

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

Full Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#8

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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With a ranking of #9, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Case Western Reserve University

#10

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. 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

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools 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 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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

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.

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