2023 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
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 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 Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 45 schools in California to see which master'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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing master's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.
Top 10 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found United States University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large city of San Diego, USU is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 640 students majoring in nursing at USU, 19% are male and 81% are female.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USU take out while working on their Master's Degree is $44,136.
The in-demand master’s degree programs at West Coast University - Orange County helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular 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.
Of the 299 students majoring in nursing at West Coast University - Orange County, 14% are male and 86% are female.
On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Orange County take out $37,094 in student loans while working on their Master's Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Samuel Merritt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University take out while working on their Master's Degree is $144,982.
Out of the 45 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science landed the # 4 spot on the list. CDU is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Angeles.
Of the 217 students majoring in nursing at CDU, 19% are male and 81% are female.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CDU take out while working on their Master's Degree is $91,380.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of San Francisco is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
About 81% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 19% are male.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at USFCA accumulate an average of around $92,428 in student debt.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 147 students majoring in nursing at UCLA, 14% are male and 86% are female.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UCLA carry an average student debt load of $56,484.
Azusa Pacific University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.
While working on their Master's Degree, nursing majors at Azusa Pacific accumulate an average of around $74,176 in student debt.
University of California - San Francisco ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSF is a small public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.
After completing their Master's Degree, nursing graduates from UCSF carry an average student debt load of $88,514.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 93 students majoring in nursing at CSULB, 18% are male and 82% are female.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Long Beach
University of Southern California landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Of the 89 students majoring in nursing at USC, 10% are male and 90% are female.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USC take out while working on their Master's Degree is $102,769.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Southern California
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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 |
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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.
Featured Schools
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