Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Kentucky

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Kentucky

11 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 Kentucky. In total, 6,395 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Kentucky.

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.

The Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in Kentucky to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs 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.

2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Frontier Nursing University the best school in Kentucky for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.

Full Nursing at Frontier Nursing University Report

#2

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

Out of the 11 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellarmine University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

Full Nursing at Bellarmine University Report

#3

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

The excellent master’s degree programs at Northern Kentucky University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Northern Kentucky University

#4

Spalding University

Louisville, KY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Spalding University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the large city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Spalding University

#5

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

Out of the 11 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, University of the Cumberlands landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cumberlands is a large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamsburg.

Full Nursing at University of the Cumberlands Report

With a ranking of #6, Kentucky Christian University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Kentucky Christian University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Grayson.

Full Nursing at Kentucky Christian University Report

Eastern Kentucky University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. Eastern is a large public school located in the town of Richmond.

Read full report on Nursing at Eastern Kentucky University

#8

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

University of Louisville 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 Louisville, UofL is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Nursing at University of Louisville Report

#9

Midway University

Midway, KY

Midway University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the rural area of Midway, Midway is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Midway University

#10

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

Western Kentucky University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public school with a large student population.

Full Nursing at Western Kentucky University Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Concentrations

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 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.

Featured Schools

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited nursing schools across the U.S.