2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
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.
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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
Our analysis found Saint Vincent College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Pennsylvania. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Latrobe.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Saint Vincent take out while working on their Master's Degree is $114,632.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Pennsylvania is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UPenn carry an average student debtload of $57,479.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means York College of Pennsylvania is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at YCP take out while working on their Master's Degree is $92,635.
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 medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University accumulate an average of around $33,863 in student debt.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Villanova University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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 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 small city of Erie.
On average, nursing graduates from Gannon take out $90,952 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
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 moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Wilkes-Barre.
Nursing majors at Wilkes take out an average of $38,882 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
University of Scranton 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. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Scranton.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at University of Scranton take out while working on their Master's Degree is $65,303.
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.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Duquesne carry an average student debtload of $65,762.
DeSales University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. DeSales is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Center Valley.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from DeSales carry an average student debtload of $41,107.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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 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 |
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.