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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

11 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 North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

The Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in North Carolina 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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Colleges.

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the most popular school in North Carolina for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

Of the 85 students majoring in nursing at Duke, 24% are male and 76% are female.

Nursing majors at Duke take out an average of $123,748 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Read More…

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Greensboro helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in North Carolina. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

Of the 71 students majoring in nursing at UNC Greensboro, 31% are male and 69% are female.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at UNC Greensboro accumulate an average of around $43,157 in student debt.

Read More…

#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at East Carolina University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 82 students majoring in nursing at ECU, 9% are male and 91% are female.

After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from ECU carry an average student debt load of $41,718.

Read full report on Nursing at East Carolina University

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

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

Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

Out of the 11 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Lenoir - Rhyne University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Hickory, Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 25 students majoring in nursing at Lenoir - Rhyne University, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Full Nursing at Lenoir - Rhyne University Report

Western Carolina University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.

Women make up 79% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.

On average, nursing graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $53,285 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 15 students majoring in nursing at UNCW, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington

#9

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC

With a ranking of #9, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Boiling Springs.

About 96% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 4% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Gardner - Webb take out while working on their Doctor's Degree is $27,530.

Read full report on Nursing at Gardner - Webb University

#9

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest 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. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Wake Forest University Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
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 11 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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