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Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

11 Schools Ranked

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. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best 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. This report analyzed 11 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
$39,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Wake Forest University the best school in North Carolina for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Wake Forest University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 67% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Wake Forest University Report

#2

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
$59,141 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina.

One thing to take note of is that Duke does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Duke University

#3

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
$12,566 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina.

UNC Chapel Hill does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 77% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#4

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina
$7,514 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UNCW. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 88% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#5

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina
$7,713 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Charlotte helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Charlotte. In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on University of North Carolina at Charlotte

#6

Lenoir - Rhyne University

Hickory, North Carolina

Lenoir - Rhyne University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking.

One thing to take note of is that Lenoir - Rhyne University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 42% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#7

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
$8,265 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Greensboro. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 80% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of North Carolina at Greensboro

#8

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina
$7,480 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Carolina University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs.

WCU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 87% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Western Carolina University

#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina
$7,594 Average Tuition & Fees

East Carolina University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

One thing to take note of is that ECU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 80% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#10

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, North Carolina
$10,130 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree.

One thing to take note of is that Gardner - Webb does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Gardner - Webb University

#11

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
$6,718 Average Tuition & Fees

Winston - Salem State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at WSSU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 89% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

View Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

References

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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