Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

42 Colleges
$98,140 Avg Salary

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 Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 42 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs 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 master's degree.

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Our 2023 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the most popular school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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

Full Nursing at University of Pennsylvania Report

#2

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

The in-demand master’s degree programs at Drexel University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Of the 335 students majoring in nursing at Drexel, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Drexel University

#3

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

Out of the 42 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Thomas Jefferson University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

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

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

#4

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Out of the 42 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilkes University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Wilkes is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wilkes-Barre.

Of the 114 students majoring in nursing at Wilkes, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Read More…

#5

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duquesne University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Of the 74 students majoring in nursing at Duquesne, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Duquesne University

#6

Carlow University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carlow University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carlow is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 70 students majoring in nursing at Carlow, 7% are male and 93% are female.

Full Nursing at Carlow University Report

#6

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Of the 70 students majoring in nursing at Villanova, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Full Nursing at Villanova University Report

With a ranking of #8, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

#9

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

With a ranking of #9, DeSales University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. DeSales is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Center Valley.

Of the 64 students majoring in nursing at DeSales, 23% are male and 77% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at DeSales University

#10

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #10, La Salle University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

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

Full Nursing at La Salle University Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

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

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.