2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Master'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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 42 schools in California to see which ones offered the best master'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 Master’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Out of the 42 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Touro University California landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - San Francisco is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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University of California - Davis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Western University of Health Sciences ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Pomona.
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University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #9, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.
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West Coast University - Orange County ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| 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.
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