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Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

107 Colleges
$98,290 Avg Salary
$50,801 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Master's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 41,854 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. 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 Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 107 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 15% Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Albany Medical College the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for nursing students working on their master’s degree. AMC Albany is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.

While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at AMC Albany accumulate an average of around $71,976 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Albany Medical College

#2

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, PA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Vincent College is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Latrobe, Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Saint Vincent take out while working on their Master's Degree is $114,632.

Read More…

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UPenn carry an average student debtload of $57,479.

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The excellent master’s degree programs at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . SUNY Downstate is a small public school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from SUNY Downstate carry an average student debtload of $37,711.

Read full report on Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend York College of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of York.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at YCP take out while working on their Master's Degree is $92,635.

Full Nursing at York College of Pennsylvania Report

#6

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #6, Thomas Jefferson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University accumulate an average of around $33,863 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University

#7

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University 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. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Villanova take out while working on their Master's Degree is $68,170.

Read full report on Nursing at Villanova University

#8

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University 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 #8 on the list. Located in the city of Erie, Gannon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Gannon take out $90,952 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Gannon University

#9

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Georgetown take out while working on their Master's Degree is $123,217.

Read full report on Nursing at Georgetown University

The College of New Jersey came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. TCNJ is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Ewing.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at TCNJ take out while working on their Master's Degree is $30,515.

Full Nursing at The College of New Jersey Report

#11

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Johns Hopkins take out while working on their Master's Degree is $97,548.

Full Nursing at Johns Hopkins University Report

#12

New York University

New York, NY

With a ranking of #12, New York University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NYU take out while working on their Master's Degree is $80,687.

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#13

Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

With a ranking of #13, Wagner College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Staten Island, Wagner is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Wagner carry an average student debtload of $46,812.

Read More…

#14

Upstate Medical University

Syracuse, NY

Upstate Medical University 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 #14 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, SUNY Upstate Medical University is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at SUNY Upstate Medical University accumulate an average of around $46,991 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Upstate Medical University Report

With a ranking of #15, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Columbia take out an average of $103,276 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.

Full Nursing at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

#16

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes University 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 #16 on the list. Located in the city of Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Wilkes take out an average of $38,882 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
18 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
19 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
20 College of Saint Elizabeth Morristown, NJ
21 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 11,477
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

Nursing Concentrations

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

Majors Similar 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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