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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

16 Colleges
$99,011 Avg Salary
$21,624 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Pennsylvania to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Thomas Jefferson University the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

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#2

Gannon University

Erie, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gannon University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Gannon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Erie.

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#3

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drexel University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

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#4

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

Out of the 16 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Duquesne University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Duquesne is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

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#5

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means DeSales University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. DeSales is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Center Valley.

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#6

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

With a ranking of #6, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#7

Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA

Cedar Crest College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Allentown, Cedar Crest is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a very large student population.

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Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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#10

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA

Waynesburg University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the town of Waynesburg, Waynesburg is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

Nursing Focus Areas

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

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

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 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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