2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Nursing Master's Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 319,502 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
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 Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 586 schools in the United States to see which master's degree 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.
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2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Albany Medical College the best school in the United States for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Albany, AMC Albany is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at AMC Albany take out while working on their Master's Degree is $71,976.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Midwestern University - Glendale helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Midwestern University - Glendale accumulate an average of around $146,705 in student debt.
Out of the 586 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Vincent College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Latrobe.
Nursing majors at Saint Vincent take out an average of $114,632 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Out of the 586 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Wake Forest University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Wake Forest University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $99,573.
Out of the 586 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Samuel Merritt University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the 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.
With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. 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
Mount Marty University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Mount Marty carry an average student debtload of $92,313.
Vanderbilt University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Vanderbilt take out $101,447 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Touro University California ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit college 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.
Texas Wesleyan University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Texas Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fort Worth.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Texas Wesleyan take out while working on their Master's Degree is $128,709.
Duke University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Duke accumulate an average of around $84,309 in student debt.
With a ranking of #12, University of California - San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. 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
University of Pennsylvania 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 #13 on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UPenn take out $57,479 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Medical University of South Carolina landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. MUSC is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Charleston.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MUSC take out while working on their Master's Degree is $106,003.
Read full report on Nursing at Medical University of South Carolina
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Brooklyn, SUNY Downstate is a public college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from SUNY Downstate take out $37,711 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Full Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Report
AdventHealth University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Orlando, AHU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from AHU carry an average student debtload of $140,053.
With a ranking of #17, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Winona.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SMU MN take out while working on their Master's Degree is $76,847.
Frontier Nursing University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the rural area of Versailles, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Frontier Nursing University carry an average student debtload of $65,523.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ranked #19 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, UTHealth is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UTHealth take out $38,224 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
With a ranking of #20, Newman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wichita.
On average, nursing graduates from Newman University take out $95,486 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Gonzaga University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.
Nursing majors at Gonzaga take out an average of $55,541 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
York College of Pennsylvania ranked #22 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at YCP take out an average of $92,635 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Loma Linda University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. 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.
Thomas Jefferson University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $33,863.
University of California - Davis came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debtload of $60,014.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 586 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Other U.S. Territories |
| Great Lakes |
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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