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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2021-2022, 319,502 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States 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 analysis found Mayo Clinic School of Medicine to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Plains States Region . Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Rochester.

While working on their Graduate Certificate, nursing majors at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine accumulate an average of around $9,134 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Maryville University of Saint Louis. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Maryville U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Full Nursing at Maryville University of Saint Louis Report

#3

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mount Marty University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Mount Marty University Report

#4

Clarkson College

Omaha, NE

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Clarkson College is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Omaha, Clarkson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Clarkson College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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With a ranking of #6, University of Nebraska Medical Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large city of Omaha, UNMC is a public school with a small student population.

Full Nursing at University of Nebraska Medical Center Report

#7

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Nursing at University of North Dakota Report

#8

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Iowa

#9

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. KU is a very large public school located in the city of Lawrence.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Kansas

Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. MSU Moorhead is a small public school located in the suburb of Moorhead.

Full Nursing at Minnesota State University - Moorhead Report

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Nebraska 1,908
Minnesota 14,890
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Kansas 2,633

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

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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