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 2023 rankings named Samuel Merritt University the best school in California for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University accumulate an average of around $144,982 in student debt.
Out of the 42 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 2 spot on the list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at USC accumulate an average of around $102,769 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Southern California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Touro University California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at TUC take out while working on their Master's Degree is $55,574.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. UCSF is a small public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
On average, nursing graduates from UCSF take out $88,514 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - San Francisco
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Loma Linda University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $112,150.
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.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debtload of $60,014.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Davis
Western University of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Pomona.
Nursing majors at Western University of Health Sciences take out an average of $119,725 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Full Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences Report
With a ranking of #8, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from USAHS carry an average student debtload of $32,246.
Read full report on Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
West Coast University - Orange County landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Orange County take out $37,094 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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 |
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| 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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