2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Finding the Best Nursing Master's Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 42,378 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 51 schools in the Southwest Region 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 the Southwest Region
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 2023 rankings named Midwestern University - Glendale the best school in the Southwest Region for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Midwestern University - Glendale is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Glendale.
On average, nursing graduates from Midwestern University - Glendale take out $146,705 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Midwestern University - Glendale
The excellent master’s degree programs at Texas Wesleyan University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Fort Worth, Texas Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Texas Wesleyan accumulate an average of around $128,709 in student debt.
The excellent master’s degree programs at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southwest Region . UTHealth is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Houston.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UTHealth carry an average student debtload of $38,224.
Full Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. TTUHSC is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lubbock.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from TTUHSC carry an average student debtload of $57,354.
The excellent master’s degree programs at The University of Texas Medical Branch helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southwest Region . UTMB Galveston is a small public school located in the town of Galveston.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at UTMB Galveston accumulate an average of around $38,531 in student debt.
Full Nursing at The University of Texas Medical Branch Report
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. UT Health San Antonio is a small public school located in the large city of San Antonio.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Health San Antonio take out while working on their Master's Degree is $45,938.
Full Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Report
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Texas A&M College Station take out $34,653 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Texas A&M University - College Station
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Austin take out while working on their Master's Degree is $62,347.
West Coast University - Dallas 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 #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Richardson, West Coast University - Dallas is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at West Coast University - Dallas accumulate an average of around $37,094 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Dallas
Texas A&M International 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 #10 on the list. Texas A&M International University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Laredo.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Texas A&M International University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $15,182.
Read full report on Nursing at Texas A&M International University
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Texas | 21,862 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
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 |
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.