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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Virginia 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Our analysis found Virginia Commonwealth University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in Virginia. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

Of the 61 students majoring in nursing at VCU, 16% are male and 84% are female.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at VCU accumulate an average of around $103,687 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University

#2

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

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

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Old Dominion take out while working on their Doctor's Degree is $83,381.

Read full report on Nursing at Old Dominion University

#3

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

About 91% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 9% are male.

Full Nursing at Liberty University Report

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at George Mason University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Virginia. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at GMU take out while working on their Doctor's Degree is $59,100.

Read full report on Nursing at George Mason University

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at University of Virginia accumulate an average of around $66,303 in student debt.

Full Nursing at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#6

Radford University

Radford, VA

With a ranking of #6, Radford University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

Read More…

#7

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winchester.

Women make up 75% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

#7

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at James Madison University

#9

Hampton University

Hampton, VA

Hampton University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

#9

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

Eastern Mennonite University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

Full Nursing at Eastern Mennonite University Report

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
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Arkansas 2,882
Tennessee 6,004
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
South Carolina 3,296
Georgia 7,112

Nursing Focus Areas

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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