2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
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.