2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
The Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 425 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Illinois the most popular school in the United States for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. This large private for-profit school is located in Addison, Illinois, and it awarded 565 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 93% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Chamberlain - Illinois are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Grand Canyon University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. Grand Canyon University is a large private for-profit school located in Phoenix, Arizona that handed out 368 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 90% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Grand Canyon University. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Rush University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 199 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 88% were women.
Rush University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 425 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Frontier Nursing University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hyden, Kentucky. It awarded 181 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 92% were women.
Frontier Nursing University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
With a ranking of #6, Capella University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. This large private for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 171 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 94% of those degree recipients were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Capella University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
With a ranking of #7, Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the large public school handed out 163 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Rutgers New Brunswick. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 23% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #8, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 146 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 91% of those degree recipients were women.
Columbia does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 142 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 89% were women.
UMN Twin Cities 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 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #10, University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. UMB is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 137 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
UMB 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 2019-2020 about 46% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large public school awarded 134 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 90% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UIC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 95% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #11, University of South Alabama did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. USA is a public institution located in Mobile, Alabama. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 134 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 92% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at USA. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Samford University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Samford University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Birmingham, Alabama that handed out 129 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 89% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Samford. During the 2019-2020 year, about 53% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Brandman University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Irvine, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 113 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 84% were women.
Brandman is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of Arizona landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in Tucson, Arizona, the large public school awarded 108 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 93% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at University of Arizona. During the 2019-2020 year, about 37% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 107 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 85% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UW Seattle. During the 2019-2020 year, about 7% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Duke University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 107 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 2% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #18, University of Utah did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. University of Utah is a large public school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 105 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at U of U, 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, 68% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of North Florida came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UNF is a fairly large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 102 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 86% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNF. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 94% took at least some of their classes online.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 102 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 95% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Johns Hopkins. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 85% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #21, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. This large public school is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and it awarded 98 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UAB does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 58% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #22, Creighton University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Creighton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 97 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 95% of those degree recipients were women.
Creighton does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 50% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 96 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Missouri State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 72% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #23, Augusta University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Augusta University is a medium-sized public school situated in Augusta, Georgia. It awarded 96 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Augusta University, 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 49% took at least some of their classes online.
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Madison, Tennessee, and it awarded 94 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MTSA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Rest of the Top 50 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the United States
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Narrow Schools by Region
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the United States
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
| 51 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL |
| 53 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 53 | University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester | Worcester, MA |
| 53 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 56 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 57 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston, TX |
| 57 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 57 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 57 | Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 57 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 57 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 63 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 64 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular nursing schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | San Marcos, CA |
| 65 | South University’s online programs | Savannah, GA |
| 65 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 68 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 68 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 68 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 68 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 68 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 73 | Viterbo University | La Crosse, WI |
| 73 | University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha, NE |
| 75 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 75 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 77 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 77 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 77 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 77 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 81 | Regis College | Weston, MA |
| 81 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 83 | Fairfield University | Fairfield, CT |
| 84 | Simmons University | Boston, MA |
| 84 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, AL |
| 84 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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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