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Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California

7 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in California. In total, 18,329 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in California.

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. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 7 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular online doctor's degree programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Check out the online nursing doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

#1

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Our analysis found Brandman University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online doctor’s degree in California. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

Full Nursing at Brandman University Report

The in-demand online doctor’s degree programs at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read full report on Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Out of the 7 online programs at schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the # 3 spot on the list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

Full Nursing at California State University - Fresno Report

The in-demand online doctor’s degree programs at Point Loma Nazarene University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Full Nursing at Point Loma Nazarene University Report

The in-demand online doctor’s degree programs at West Coast University - Orange County helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report

#5

National University

La Jolla, CA

The in-demand online doctor’s degree programs at National University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.

Read full report on Nursing at National University

#5

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northcentral University is a great place for nursing students working on their online doctor’s degree. Located in the city of San Diego, Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 3,851
Nevada 2,015
Alaska 177
Hawaii 535
Oregon 1,502

More Nursing Rankings in California

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 7 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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