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

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.

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

Full Nursing at Saint Vincent College Report

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

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 city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend York College of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit school 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.

Read More…

#4

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Thomas Jefferson University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University

#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 suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Villanova University

#6

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Gannon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Erie.

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

Read More…

#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.

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

Full Nursing at Wilkes University Report

#8

University of Scranton

Scranton, PA

University of Scranton landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. 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.

Read More…

#9

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

Duquesne University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Duquesne is a medium-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.

Full Nursing at Duquesne University Report

#10

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

With a ranking of #10, DeSales University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. 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.

Full Nursing at DeSales University Report

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 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.

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