2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right 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. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 33 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Southern California the best school in California for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
USC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UC Davis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 52% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Stan State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
UCLA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
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.
Online graduate courses are available at USFCA, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #6, Vanguard University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
Since the graduate programs at Vanguard are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Sonoma State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SSU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 90% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MSMU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Online graduate courses are available at UC Irvine, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 95% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
California State University - Chico ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Chico State. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list.
Cal State Fullerton does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Since the graduate programs at Azusa Pacific are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
San Jose State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at San Jose State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 94% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
United States University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Since the graduate programs at USU are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #15, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
Online graduate courses are available at PLNU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 56% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Holy Names University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Since the graduate programs at HNU are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Fresno Pacific University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list.
One thing to take note of is that Fresno Pacific does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 11% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CSULB does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #19, University of San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USD. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 24% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - San Marcos ranked #20 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUSM. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State University - San Marcos
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
CSUDH 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. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - East Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Cal State East Bay. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
San Diego State University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SDSU. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #24, California State University - Fresno did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
Fresno State does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #25, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.
SFSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 93% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
NursingDegreeSearch.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© NursingDegreeSearch.com – All Rights Reserved.