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Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

36 Colleges
$98,140 Avg Salary

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 Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

The Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

#1

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Saint Vincent College the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Latrobe.

Full Nursing at Saint Vincent College Report

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Full Nursing at University of Pennsylvania Report

The excellent master’s degree programs at York College of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at York College of Pennsylvania

#4

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Thomas Jefferson University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

#5

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Villanova University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Full Nursing at Villanova University Report

#6

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Gannon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Erie.

Read full report on Nursing at Gannon University

#7

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Wilkes is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Wilkes-Barre.

Read More…

#8

University of Scranton

Scranton, PA

University of Scranton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Scranton.

Read More…

#9

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

With a ranking of #9, Duquesne University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Duquesne is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Read More…

#10

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

DeSales University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. DeSales is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Center Valley.

Full Nursing at DeSales University Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

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

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

Majors Similar 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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