2023 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 45 schools in California 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 each school on the list.
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Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named United States University the most popular school in California for nursing students working on their master’s degree. USU is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 397 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out USU. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
You’ll be in good company if you attend West Coast University - Orange County. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Anaheim, California, the small private for-profit school handed out 317 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at West Coast University - Orange County are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
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 Oakland, California that handed out 217 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Samuel Merritt University. During the 2019-2020 year, about 23% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CDU is a very small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 214 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at CDU are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Full Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 186 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 82% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since USFCA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. This large public school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 179 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 84% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UCLA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Azusa Pacific University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 162 students in 2020-2021.
Around 88% of those degree recipients were women.
Azusa Pacific 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 California - San Francisco 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 #8 on the list. This small public school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 153 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 84% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UCSF. In fact, around 69% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 111 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at CSULB. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Southern California ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 100 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
USC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of San Diego 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 #11 on the list. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 89 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.
One thing to take note of is that USD does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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 Baptist University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 80 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 79% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cal Baptist does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Western University of Health Sciences ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Pomona, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 74 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.
Western University of Health Sciences does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 0% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.
Cal State LA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 90% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Sac State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 61 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
One thing to take note of is that CSUDH does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #17, University of Phoenix - California did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in Costa Mesa, California, the small private for-profit school handed out 55 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 89% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UOPX - California, 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 9% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
California State University - Fullerton ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 94% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Cal State Fullerton. 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.
San Francisco State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 49 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SFSU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 93% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 44 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
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. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.
National University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in La Jolla, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 37 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at National University, 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 48% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Sonoma State University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, the medium-sized public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
SSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 90% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #23, Holy Names University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 29 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out HNU. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 28 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 82% of those degree recipients were women.
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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 56% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large public school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 27 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
CSUSM does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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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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