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Best Value Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

18 Colleges
$16,797 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$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 Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Tennessee to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga the best value school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UT Chattanooga graduate students pay an average of $10,474 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UT Chattanooga also made our Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list, coming in at #2.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

#2

Cumberland University

Lebanon, TN

The excellent master’s degree programs at Cumberland University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the fringe town of Lebanon, CU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CU are $7,500 per year.

Read full report on Nursing at Cumberland University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Middle Tennessee State University graduate students pay an average of $10,818 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at Middle Tennessee State University

#4

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carson - Newman University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the small suburb of Jefferson City, Carson - Newman is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Carson - Newman graduate students pay an average of $9,632 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Carson - Newman University Report

#4

Tusculum University

Greeneville, TN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Tusculum University is a great value for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Greeneville, Tusculum is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Tusculum are $7,200 per year.

Full Nursing at Tusculum University Report

With a ranking of #6, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UT Knoxville are $13,380 a year.

UT Knoxville also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

Tennessee Technological 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. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $11,762 per year.

Full Nursing at Tennessee Technological University Report

#8

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. UofM is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UofM are $10,908 a year.

Full Nursing at University of Memphis Report

#9

Union University

Jackson, TN

Union University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the small city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Union graduate students pay an average of $11,666 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at Union University

#10

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

Southern Adventist University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Southern Adventist graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Southern Adventist University Report

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Arkansas 2,882
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
West Virginia 1,771
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775
Georgia 7,112

Nursing Focus Areas

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 18 schools only.

  • 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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