2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Nursing Master's Degree School for You
In 2021-2022, 319,502 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 149 schools in the Southeast Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Wake Forest University the best school in the Southeast Region for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Wake Forest University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $99,573.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
On average, nursing graduates from Vanderbilt take out $101,447 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Duke accumulate an average of around $84,309 in student debt.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Medical University of South Carolina. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Charleston, MUSC is a public college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MUSC take out while working on their Master's Degree is $106,003.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend AdventHealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. AHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Orlando.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from AHU carry an average student debtload of $140,053.
Frontier Nursing 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 #6 on the list. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Versailles.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Frontier Nursing University carry an average student debtload of $65,523.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge, FranU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Emory University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Emory take out while working on their Master's Degree is $71,392.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from University of Virginia carry an average student debtload of $58,220.
With a ranking of #10, Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. FGCU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fort Myers.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at FGCU accumulate an average of around $99,501 in student debt.
With a ranking of #11, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at UT Chattanooga accumulate an average of around $60,115 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
James Madison University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $33,328 in student debt.
With a ranking of #13, Florida State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Florida State take out while working on their Master's Degree is $134,776.
Belmont University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Belmont take out while working on their Master's Degree is $50,662.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
Nursing majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out an average of $48,424 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
With a ranking of #16, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Little Rock, UAMS is a public school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at UAMS take out an average of $43,772 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
South University’s online programs 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 #17 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Savannah, South University's online programs is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at South University's online programs accumulate an average of around $56,624 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at South University’s online programs
Augusta University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Augusta University is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Augusta.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Augusta University carry an average student debtload of $60,153.
Shenandoah University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Shenandoah take out an average of $47,446 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
With a ranking of #20, University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UofSC take out $54,405 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Full Nursing at University of South Carolina - Columbia Report
University of Miami ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at U Miami take out an average of $58,374 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
With a ranking of #22, Harding University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from Harding carry an average student debtload of $59,386.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 24 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 25 | Sentara College of Health Sciences | Chesapeake, VA |
| 26 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 27 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 28 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 29 | Radford University | Radford, VA |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| Florida | 21,209 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| North Carolina | 7,425 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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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