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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Kentucky

10 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary
$76,952 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Kentucky with 6,395 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Kentucky to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

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

#1

Frontier Nursing University

Versailles, KY

Our analysis found Frontier Nursing University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in Kentucky. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Versailles.

Of the 201 students majoring in nursing at Frontier Nursing University, 6% are male and 94% are female.

Nursing majors at Frontier Nursing University take out an average of $70,180 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Frontier Nursing University

#2

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Northern Kentucky University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Kentucky. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NKU take out while working on their Doctor's Degree is $89,628.

Read More…

#3

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Louisville is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public college with a very large student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at University of Louisville

#4

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of Kentucky helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Kentucky. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

Full Nursing at University of Kentucky Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Murray State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the remote town of Murray, Murray State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

About 71% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 29% are male.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at Murray State accumulate an average of around $100,873 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Murray State University Report

#6

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

Western Kentucky University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 85% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 15% are male.

Nursing majors at WKU take out an average of $53,476 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Read More…

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

About 70% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 30% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at Eastern Kentucky University

#8

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

Bellarmine University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.

Women make up 78% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

#9

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, KY

Kentucky State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Frankfort, KY State is a public school with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Kentucky State University Report

#10

Spalding University

Louisville, KY

Spalding University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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 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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 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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